Sharps Safety, Disposal & Needlestick Prevention
$14.95
This course provides additional information on sharps safety, beyond what is covered in the Bloodborne Pathogens training. This course takes a closer look at the ways in which healthcare workers and others at risk of exposure can help prevent needlestick and sharps injuries.
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- Begin training immediately after checkout
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Short-course safety add-on
Sharps Safety and Needlestick Prevention Training
This focused short course provides additional sharps-safety information for healthcare workers and others who may use, handle, clean around, transport, or dispose of needles and other sharp instruments.
It expands on the sharps content included in Bloodborne Pathogens training, with an emphasis on identifying high-risk activities, using safer devices, applying the hierarchy of controls, and helping prevent avoidable needlestick and sharps injuries.
Why sharps safety matters
Small actions can prevent serious exposure incidents
Sharps injuries can happen in clinical care, vaccination, laboratory work, dentistry, environmental services, transport, cleanup, and disposal. Prevention depends on safe device selection, clear procedures, focused work practices, and a workplace culture that encourages prompt reporting.
Recognize High-Risk Activities
Learn where injuries commonly occur and why task design, distractions, work pace, and disposal practices can create preventable risk.
- Needle use, injections, testing, and specimen work
- Cleaning, handling, and disposal activities
- Tasks involving unexpected movement or interruption
Use Safer Controls
Explore the hierarchy of controls and why safer devices and effective systems should reduce risk before workers rely on PPE alone.
- Safety-engineered sharps devices
- Accessible, suitable sharps-disposal containers
- Engineering, administrative, and work-practice controls
Respond and Report Promptly
Understand the importance of following the employer’s post-exposure process without delay after a needlestick, sharps injury, or other potential exposure.
- Immediate first-aid steps and reporting
- Confidential medical evaluation and follow-up
- Using injury reports to improve prevention
Course outline
A practical refresher on preventing sharps injuries
The course brings together key legal context, real-world injury patterns, practical controls, and recommendations for both employers and workers.
Sharps Safety Foundations
Introduce sharps risks, the potential consequences of injuries, and the purpose of the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act.
- Sharps safety basics
- Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act context
- How injuries can lead to bloodborne-pathogen exposure
How and When Injuries Happen
Examine injury scenarios, case-based learning, and the common activities and conditions associated with sharps incidents.
- Tasks associated with needlestick injuries
- Case reports and practical learning points
- Situational awareness and focused work practices
Controls and Safer Devices
Review the hierarchy of controls and the role of safety-engineered devices, accessible disposal, and safer task design.
- Engineering controls and sharps-safety devices
- Administrative controls and workplace procedures
- Work-practice controls for day-to-day prevention
Employer and Worker Responsibilities
Understand how employers and workers contribute to a safer environment through training, reporting, equipment selection, and continuous improvement.
- OSHA-related sharps-safety expectations
- Employer recommendations and injury tracking
- Worker recommendations and prompt incident reporting
Important: This course is a focused sharps-safety supplement. It does not replace Bloodborne Pathogens training, an employer’s Exposure Control Plan, device-specific instruction, site-specific procedures, or post-exposure medical evaluation and follow-up requirements.
Need full Bloodborne Pathogens training?
For workers with occupational exposure risk, choose the healthcare Bloodborne Pathogens course for broader OSHA-aligned training on exposure prevention and response.
2 reviews for Sharps Safety, Disposal & Needlestick Prevention
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Sara Wu (verified owner) –
Nice extra course and cert to do after the compulsory BBP good job!
Ally Longmonkol (verified owner) –
Much needed info for anyone working in health care ; it was easy to complete and covered a few things I didn’t know.