1.

Always take a sharps box to the point of use if working away from a vehicle.

2.

If skin contamination with blood is a risk, wear appropriate protective clothing including single use disposable gloves when using needles and/or sharps. Change gloves after each patient or procedure, wash hands after removing gloves.

3.

Cover all exposed broken skin with a secure waterproof dressing.

4.

Use extreme care when clearing up after procedures that require the use of sharps. Do not handle a contaminated sharp implement with hands – use forceps. Do not re-sheath, bend or break used needles/sharps.

5.

Always discard used sharps directly into an approved disposal container, immediately after use.

6.

7.1.6. Do not overfill sharps boxes, close securely and change when three-quarter full.

7.

Lock sharps boxes when three-quarter full, label, date and sign and store in the appropriate sharps box collection bin to await collection for final disposal.

8.

Report all sharps related incidents immediately to a supervisor or line manager and to your Occupational Health Service. Ensure a report is completed.