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Sharps
Sharps can include hypodermic needles, lancets, razor/scalpel blades, or any other
instrument which could result in puncture injuries, damage to skin etc. The main risk
associated with a needlestick injury is the acquisition of blood borne viruses such as
HIV (AIDS) and Hepatitis B or C.
Infectious Waste is defined as waste arising from medical, nursing, dental, veterinary
pathology, pharmaceutical or similar practice, investigation, treatment, care, teaching
and research which has the potential to cause sharps injury, infection or offence, unless treated by a method
approved by the Director General of the NSW Department of Health.
This includes but is not limited to: discarded sharps, discarded blood specimens and products, human tissue,
organs, body parts etc, and animal carcasses.
What you should do
Never put your hands in areas where you cannot see or run fingers behind objects such as, wash
basins, cupboards. etc. Never put your hand into bins.
Never pick up a sharp with your bare hands.
When disposing of sharps:
put on heavy duty gloves;
use tongs to pick up a needle or syringe and put it in a sharps container;
do not hold (or have someone else hold) the container - while you are putting a syringe into it - put the
container on the floor;
once the container is ¾ full make sure that you secure - the cap, and notify your supervisor that it
needs to be replaced.
Make sure that nobody else could get hurt by the sharp.
First Aid Procedures
Wash immediately and thoroughly with soap and water.
If mouth, nose or eyes were affected, immediately rinse well with water or saline
Seek immediate medical advice.