Links
to international resources on healthcare worker safety and occupational exposure prevention
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- Emergency needlestick information
- European Union
- European Biosafety Network
- European Federation of Nurses
- Global Health Workforce Alliance
- International Labor Organization
- International Council of Nurses
- International Hospital Federation
- Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO)
- U.K.:
- World Bank
- World Health Organization
- U.S. federal government
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- Other links
- Council directive implementing the Framework Agreement on prevention of sharps injuries in the hospital and healthcare sector concluded by HOSPEEM and EPSU (Brussels: Council of the European Union, Legislative Acts and Other Instruments 7318/10; April 19, 2010.)
- Council adopts rules to prevent injuries to healthcare workers (5/11/10)
- EU Framework Agreement on sharps safety, signed by HOSPEEM and EPSU (July 17, 2009)
- European Agency for Health and Safety at Work
- European Agency for Health and Safety at Work: Report - Expert forecast on Emerging Biological Risks related to Occupational Safety and Health
- European Parliament - resolution: Protecting European healthcare workers from blood borne infections due to needle stick injuries
- EFN Position Paper on the Prevention of Sharps Injuries
- European Healthcare Workers at Risk
- Prevention of Sharps Injuries (EFN policy statement)
- Safe Needles Save Lives (joint statement with International Council of Nurses)
International Labor Organization
- ILO Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS and the world of work (2001) (includes section on training for workers who come into contact with human blood and other body fluids)
- Joint ILO/WHO Guidelines on Health Services and HIV/AIDS (2005)
- Joint WHO/ILO Guidelines on Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) to Prevent HIV Infection (2007)
International Council of Nurses
- Fact Sheet: Preventing Needlestick Injuries
- Reducing the impact of HIV/AIDS on nursing and midwifery personnel
- Selecting safer needle devices
International Hospital Federation
- How to Avoid Needlestick Injuries (from IHF Reference Book 2006/2007) [section 097 under Clinical Care Focus]
Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO)
- Protecting the Health of Health Care Workers: A Global Perspective. Proceedings from workshop on "Occupational Health Services for Health Care Workers in Rural/Remote Areas and Developing Countries," October 24, 2007. Vancouver, British Columbia. Sponsored by Pan-American Health Organization, International Commission on Occupational Health, and the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, among others.
- Salud y seguridad de los trabajadores del sector salud (manual)
- Health Protection Agency
- Bloodborne viruses and occupational exposure
- Epidemiological data - bloodborne viruses and occupational exposures
- Eye of the Needle: Surveillance of Significant Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Viruses in Healthcare Workers (Centre for Infections -England, Wales and Northern Ireland; seven-year report: January 2005)
- Occupational transmission of HIV: summary of published reports. March 2005 edition; data to the end of December 2002. (HPA/Centre for Infections and Collaborators)
- Publications - bloodborne viruses and occupational exposures
- Surveillance of occupational exposures to bloodborne viruses in healthcare workers
- Royal College of Nursing
- Safer Needles Network
- Aide Memoire on Health Care Worker Safety
- Assessing the burden of disease from sharps injuries to health-care workers at national and local levels
- Blood-drawing safety: WHO Guidelines on Best Practices in Phlebotomy
- Global burden of disease from sharps injuries to health-care workers
- Global Health Workforce Alliance
- GOHNet (Global Occupational Health Network) newsletter
- Healthcare waste - risks to workers
- Injection safety
- WHO best practices for injections and related procedures toolkit
- Revised injection safety assessment tool
- Joint ILO/WHO Guidelines on Health Services and HIV/AIDS (2005)
- Joint WHO/ILO Guidelines on Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) to Prevent HIV Infection (2007)
- Occupational Health page
- Policy checklist for bloodborne pathogens exposure control
- Preventing needlestick injuries among healthcare workers
- SIGN: Safe Injection Global Network
- Toolkit - Protecting Healthcare Workers: Preventing Needlestick Injuries (includes training and presentation materials)
- Toolkit - Protecting Healthcare Workers (Spanish version)
- Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act (copy of bill)
- Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act - photo of bill-signing ceremony at the White House, November 6, 2000
- U.S. Government Accounting Office (GAO) report: "Occupational Safety: Selected Cost and Benefit Implications of Needlestick Prevention Devices for Hospitals"
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
- CDC home page
- Emergency needlestick information
- Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL) 5th Edition
- Bloodborne Pathogens in Healthcare Settings
- Case-Control Study of HIV Seroconversion in Health-Care Workers After Percutaneous Exposure to HIV-Infected Blood-- France, United Kingdom, and United States, January 1988-August 1994 (MMWR 1995)
- Estimate of the Annual Number of Percutaneous Injuries Amoung Hospital-Based Healthcare Workers in the United States, 1997-1998
- Evaluation of Blunt Suture Needles in Preventing Percutaneous Injuries Among Health-Care Workers During Gynecologic Surgical Procedures--New York City, March 1993-June1994 (MMWR 1997)
- Evaluation of Safety Devices for Preventing Percutaneous Injuries Among Health-Care Workers During Phlebotomy Procedures--Minneapolis-St. Paul, New Work City, and San Francisco, 1993-1995 (MMWR 1997)
- Exposure to Blood: What Health Care Workers Need to Know
- Eye Protection for Infection Control
- Guideline for Infection Control in Health Care Personnel, 1998
- Guidelines for the Management of Occupational Exposures to HBV, HCV, and HIV and Recommendations for Postexposure Prophylaxis (MMWR 2001)
- Hand Hygiene Resource Page
- Hepatitis C - information for healthcare professionals
- Hepatitis C - risk of acquiring for healthcare workers
- Needle-Free Injection Technology
- National Sharps Injury Prevention Meeting - Proceedings (September 2005)
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in Healthcare Settings (includes free downloadable slideset and posters)
- Preventing Occupational HIV Transmission to Healthcare Personnel
- Public Health Service Guidelines for the Management of Health-Care Worker Exposure to HIV and Recommendations for Postexposure Prophylaxis (MMWR 1998)
- Recommendations for Prevention and Control of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Infection and HCV-Related Chronic Disease (MMWR 1998)
- Rapid HIV Testing
- Surveillance of U.S. Healthcare Personnel with HIV/AIDS (including occupationally acquired HIV/AIDS)
- Universal Precautions for Prevention of Transmission of HIV and Other Bloodborne Infections
- Updated U.S. Public Health Service Guidelines for the Management of Occupational Exposures to HBV, HCV, and HIV and Recommendations for Postexposure Prophylaxis (MMWR 2001)
- Workbook for Designing, Implementing, and Evaluating a Sharps Injury Prevention Program (2004 version)
- Workbook for Designing, Implementing, and Evaluating a Sharps Injury Prevention Program (2008 revised version)
- OSHA Home Page
- 2001 Revised Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (Published 1/18/01)
- 2001 Revised Bloodborne Pathogens Standard: Federal Register text (PDF file
- Bloodborne Pathogens and Needlestick Prevention
- Bloodborne Pathogens Fact Sheet
- Bloodborne Pathogens Standard -Powerpoint presentation
- Bloodborne Pathogens Standard training materials
- Enforcement Procedures ["Compliance Directive"] for the Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens for the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard [revised 11/27/01
- Exposure Control Plan (model OSHA plan)
- Fact Sheet: Securing Medical Catheters
- Frequently Asked Questions about the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act
- Frequently asked questions concerning the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard
- Hospital eTool: OSHA requirements and recommended work practices for occupational health and safety in healthcare settings (by individual clinical settings)
- How to Prevent Needlestick Injuries: Answers to Some Important Questions
- Information for employers: complying with OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (March 2009)
- More FAQs on the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard
- Safety and Health Information Bulletin: Use of Blunt-Tip Suture Needles to Decrease Percutaneous Injuries to Surgical Personnel (2007)
- Safety and Health Information Bulletin: Disposal of Contaminated Needles and Blood Tube Holders Used for Phlebotomy (2003)
- Standard Interpretation letters (these documents provide guidance on questions related to the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard).
- OSHA standard interpretation letters since 2000, organized by title and by year (selected- not an OSHA document)
- Statistics and Data page (including inspection data)
U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
- Bloodborne Infectious Diseases HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B Virus, and Hepatitis C Virus
- How to Protect Yourself from Needlestick Injuries
- Information for employers: complying with OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (March 2009)
- NIOSH Alert: Preventing Needlestick Injuries in Health Care Settings
- Preventing Exposures to Bloodborne Pathogens Among Paramedics (April 2010)
- Protecting the Health of Health Care Workers: A Global Perspective. Proceedings from workshop on "Occupational Health Services for Health Care Workers in Rural/Remote Areas and Developing Countries," October 24, 2007. Vancouver, British Columbia. Sponsored by Pan-American Health Organization, International Commission on Occupational Health, and the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, among others.
- Safer Medical Device Implementation in Healthcare Facilities: Sharing Lessons Learned
- Selecting, Evaluating, and Using Sharps Disposal Containers
- Use of Blunt-Tip Suture Needles to Decrease Percutaneous Injuries to Surgical Personnel
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
- Glass Capillary Tubes: Joint Safety Advisory About Potential Risks (1999)
- Guidance for Industry: Medical Devices with Sharps Injury Prevention Features (2005)
- Safety Alert: Needlestick and Other Risks from Hypodermic Needles on Secondary I.V. Administration Sets - Piggyback and Intermittent I.V. (1992)
- American Nurses' Association:
- Safe Needles Save Lives
- Safe Needles Nurse Toolkit
- 2010 Safety Needles Save Lives Fact Sheet
- ANA Needlestick Prevention Guide
- Health Care Product Evaluation Center
at the University of Virginia School of Nursing
- Joint Commission: Sentinel Event Alert - Preventing Needlesticks and Sharps Injuries (2001)
- JHPIEGO: Infection Prevention Guidelines for Healthcare Facilities with Limited Resources
- Massachusetts Sharps Injury Surveillance System (annual data reports based on compiled exposure data from all Massachusetts hospitals)
- ORprecautions.com (operating room/surgical safety, Dr. Mark Davis)
- Organization for Safety & Asepsis Procedures (OSAP) -International Dental Infection Control and Safety - percutaneous injury prevention
- Premier Safety Institute:
- Needlestick prevention brochure
- Sharps Injury Prevention page
- Journal literature on Safety Device Research
- Safe in Common (injection safety website)
- Service Employees International Union: Guide to Prevention Needlestick Injuries
- TDICT Project (information and forms on device evaluation)