Preventing Needle Stick Injuries
We have experienced a four-fold increase in needle stick injuries while collecting healthcare waste this year, compared to last.
The main root causes were: 
– Overfilled sharps containers which can result in needles poking out through the lid.
– Sharps container lids being presented for collection whilst remaining open.
– People choosing not to use a proper sharps container, preferring to put them in a takeaway food tray, cardboard box, or throwing sharps straight into a wheelie bin or, worst of all, hiding them in a soft waste bag.
Please help reduce injuries next year by alerting your teams to these issues and together we can help each other to reduce infection and provide the best service possible.
