The risks are   

• Cuts and lacerations to skin, needlestick injuries and serious eye injuries.   
• Exposure to hazardous substances such as blood borne viruses, human pathogens, hazardous chemicals and cytotoxic drugs.   
• Creation of spray and aerosols when handling liquids. 

The people at risk are   

• Users, in particular untrained and inexperienced users.   
• Those in the vicinity.   
• Human volunteers.   
• Those at risk when sharps are not stored or disposed of correctly i.e. staff, students, cleaning staff and contractors.

To reduce the risk of a sharps injury in the laboratory please observe the following strategies:

Eliminate the use of sharps (including glass) whenever possible:

• Identify all sharps that you are using and determine whether or not an alternative is available to carry out the procedure. e.g. the use of non-glass alternatives to breakable items such as slides, coverslips, reagent bottles.

If use cannot be avoided:

Substitute with alternative devices and/or safer techniques

• Review your current procedures and consider the following:
• The use of a “safe sharp” i.e. one with an engineered safety feature available and feasible for your procedure.
• The use of disposable, not reusable sharps.
• The use of glass items that have shatter-proof features (i.e. Teflon coating).
• The use of a safer procedure could achieve the same or better results. 
• This must be regularly reviewed as new items come on the market and techniques change.

NOTE: all “safe-sharps” must be tested and risk assessed by a competent user before coming on stream. They do not remove all risk and in some instances can increase it.

Appropriate PPE as a last line of defence must be considered at the risk assessment stage. This could include but is not limited to:

• Disposable gloves if there is risk of exposure to any hazardous substances. 
• Splash resistant goggles or a face visor if there is a risk of splashing or aerosols.
• Impact resistant safety spectacles if there is a risk of airborne fragments.
• Light weight EN388 abrasion resistant gloves should be considered if undertaking a task that could lead to serious laceration e.g. trimming histology bocks using a blade, use of microtomes and cryostats, cleaning up broken glass etc. 

It is the responsibility of the principle investigator or line manager to ensure that there is a suitable and sufficient risk assessment in place for the use of all sharps and any associated hazardous substances and to bring it the attention of all users.

It must consider the following:

• The risk of a sharps injury and how that risk is managed.
• The potential exposure to hazardous contaminants such as genetically modified organisms, blood borne viruses, human pathogens, hazardous chemicals and radioactive substances.  
• The adequacy of the proposed control measures, including procedural controls, such as the use of personal protective equipment.
• Disposal routes.
• Emergency planning in case of a sharps injury or hazardous substance exposure.
• The level of training and supervision required.

It should also refer to associated local rules and risk assessments such as those for Biological Safety and COSHH risk assessments.     

It is strongly recommended that Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) are also written, in particular for complex procedures.

It is the responsibility of the Principal Investigator, Supervisor or Line Manger to ensure that all staff and students receive appropriate training and supervision.

Inexperienced staff and students must be supervised by an experienced competent person. Staff and students must be assessed and deemed competent in the activity before they are allowed to work unsupervised.

Work experience students and undergraduates must be supervised at all times.

Training should include (but is not limited to) the following:

• Practical skills such as the safe use of sharps and any associated hazardous substances.
• The use of appropriate personal protective equipment, why it is important and its limitations.
• Understanding of local rules and all associated risk assessments and standard operating procedures.
• Waste management.
• Emergency procedures in case of a sharps injury and/or exposure to a hazardous substance.
• Accident and incident reporting procedures.

All training, including refresher training, must be recorded.

The Faculty also provide training in Biological Safety, Risk assessments and Chemical Safety – please refer to the FBMH training web-pages.

• Use the correct tool for the job
• Do not leave unguarded sharps unattended – maintain visual contact
• Do not reuse disposable sharps.
• Do not re-sheath disposable blades.
• Do not re-sheath needles unless a risk assessment has identified this is necessary.
• Do not put excessive force on a sharps device – it can cause it to bend or break.    
• Used disposable sharps must be disposed of at point of use.
• If reusable sharps are used, they should be discarded into a hard-sided autoclavable container with a lid after use prior to washing and decontamination.
• For reusable sharps devices (i.e. knives, scissors), have a storage container that will enclose the sharp end (i.e. a bucket or enclosed tray) readily available at the point of use.
• When cleaning and reprocessing reusable sharps, use cleaning tools that limit the potential for contact between your hands and the sharps surfaces (i.e. a brush or sponge on a handle).
• Sharps must not be carried in pockets or kept loose in drawers. They must be stored either in the original packaging or designated safety device e.g. microtome blade holder.
• Minimise the use of two handed techniques e.g. passing sharp devices from one person to another. If a sharp device must be passed between personnel, adopt a system to prohibit both personnel from grasping the device at the same time.
• Be aware of others in the vicinity. 
• Be aware of factors that contribute to injuries e.g. hurrying or rushing or doing a complicated procedure when you are tired or not feeling well.  Using sharps in an overcrowded work area and not keeping track of sharp items.
• Visually inspect your workspace once the work is completed and ensure no sharps have been left behind.
• Plan how to manage improperly disposed of sharps / abandoned sharps – do not pick them up with your fingers!
• Have clearly defined waste streams.
• Use of correct disposal routes, user training, compliance and waste auditing.
• Fully stocked first aid boxes must be available in areas where sharps are used.
• Do not lone work with sharps unless a lone working risk assessment indicates it’s safe to do so.

• Use needle-locking syringes for all needle / syringe applications to prevent exposure to sprays and aerosols. This includes injections, filtration, transfer of liquids, and loading columns.
• Use of needle-locking syringes will also prevent the loss of valuable samples.
• If there is a risk of spray / aerosol wear appropriate eye protection.

Each researcher should have a documented procedure in place for the management and reporting of sharps and needle stick injuries in place and ensure that this is clearly communicated to all staff and students during their training.

Action to be taken following needle stick injuries containing human blood or bodily fluids.

IMMEDIATELY encourage the wound to bleed (do not suck the site).

• Wash the site liberally with soap and water (without scrubbing).
• Notify your supervisor
• Refer to your relevant risk assessment, BioCOSHH or GM application for any further actions that should be taken. 
• Contact Occupational Health

Occupational Health offer guidance on the following topics:
Needlestick / sharps injuries and incidents involving human blood or other body fluids

• Advice on action to be taken in the event of a needlestick incident.
• Factsheet on needlestick / Sharps injuries
• Sharps / Needlestick questionnaire
• Roles and responsibilities regarding sharps and needlestick injuries for clinical placement students.
• Health & Safety (Sharp Instruments in Healthcare) Regulations 2013B.

Action to be taken following a sharps injury contaminated with any other hazardous substance

IMMEDIATELY encourage the wound to bleed (do not suck the site).

• Wash the site liberally with soap and water (without scrubbing).
• Notify your supervisor
• Refer to your relevant risk assessment for any further actions that should be taken. 
• Contact Occupational Health

Lacerations and eye injuries

• Contact your nearest first aider (refer to your nearest first aid poster )
• If it is out of hours contact University Security on (0161 30) 69966 
• If the injury is life threatening call an ambulance on (9)999

These numbers are also on a label on all UoM phones and on the back of your swipe card.

Please note: for those working on an NHS footprint reporting procedures may differ and you must refer to your trust policy and local rules.

• Contact a first aider if required.
• Inform your supervisor or line manager at the earliest opportunity. 
• All accidents and incidents must be reported using the University accident/incident combined reporting form.

Please note: for those working on an NHS footprint reporting procedures may differ and you must refer to your trust policy and local rules.