Sharps Medical Waste Services

Moms are often the first ones to handle the mess, solve the problem, and make sure everyone is safe. Happy Mother’s Day to the original safety experts. To all the moms and mother figures who keep families, workplaces, and communities going. 💐

Karen Daley spent 26 years as an emergency department nurse at Brigham and Women's Hospital. She followed every protocol, and still experienced a needlestick injury from a wedged inside an overfilled sharps container. Months later, she tested positive for both HIV and hepatitis C. In her eyes, her clinical career was over.

Studies cited by OSHA indicate that as many as 1 in 3 sharps injuries occur during rather than during the procedure itself.

This week, as the global community celebrates World Immunization Week and the 150 million lives vaccines have saved, we examine the part of that mission that receives far less attention: what happens to the needle after it leaves the patient's arm.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/vaccines-can-save-lives-safe-sharps-disposal-too-sharpsmws-dpbwe

Vaccines Can Save Lives. Safe Sharps Disposal Can Save Lives Too. Needlestick injury rates haven't improved in over a decade. The disposal gap is a significant reason why.

1 in 3 sharps injuries happen during disposal.

Most sharps injury prevention campaigns emphasize the needle, features, and proper technique. This is where training budgets are allocated, and compliance efforts are focused.

However, studies cited by OSHA show that as many as 1 in 3 sharps injuries in hospital settings occur during the disposal process, not during procedures. This implies that factors such as the type of container, its mounting location, how full it is, and the existence of a proactive exchange schedule are equally important, yet receive significantly less attention.

This week, vaccination events are running in pharmacies, clinics, schools, and community health centers across the country. Each of these sites generates sharps , particularly temporary or low-volume sites that operate without a fully compliant disposal system.

is a celebration worth having. Vaccines have saved over 150 million lives in the past 50 years. However, that protection doesn't stop when the needle leaves the patient's arm; it continues until the needle is safely and responsibly disposed of.

Sharps Medical Waste Services serves providers of all sizes, including hospital systems and multi-site practices with scheduled route-based pickups, as well as community pharmacies and sites that use mailback systems. One provider for every care setting and every waste stream.