Seeking Sharps Safety

摘要

The acquired immunodeficiency syndrome epidemic of the 1980s heightened awareness of the risk of blood-borne pathogen (BBP) transmission and the role of percutaneous injuries in this transmission.Studies describe health care worker (HCW) risks and routes of exposure to the BBPs of human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitides B and C. Based on this collective evidence (and the anxiety of HCWs and other stakeholders), much action ensued. In US laws, regulations and guidelines direct the policy, procedures, and practices of BBP safety in health care facilities.The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is the federal agency responsible for ensuring safe, healthy workplaces in the United States. The OSHA developed the Blood Borne Pathogen Standard of 1991. Blood-borne pathogen standard violation has been a frequently cited OSHA deficiency in US health care facilities. The BBP standard gained increased compliance in US health care institutions with the passage of the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act of 2000.