KEYWORDS:
OSHA, safety devices, NSIs, compliance, cost

BACKGROUND:
In 1991 the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued needlestick safety regulations, mandating practices and equipment to reduce transmission of bloodborne pathogens. Yet needlestick injuries (NSIs) continued to occur, with an estimated 800,000 annually. Meanwhile, safer medical devices were developed. In 2001, OSHA issued additional regulations governing the use of these new safety needles.

OBJECTIVE:
Compliance with the 2001 safety regulations appears to be a daunting and expensive process. This presentation focuses on methods to reach compliance in an efficient, simple, cost-effective manner.

METHOD:
Implementing the regulations is achieved with a 3-step process:
>EXPLORE--a team of sharps users catalogs presently-used devices, then substitutes OSHA-compliant versions for trials, to
>EVALUATE--all sharps users utilize the selected trial device(s). By evaluation forms, a consensus is reached, resulting in a decision to
>EXECUTE--train all employees, and schedule an implementation date.

RESULT:
An evaluation team that includes non-managerial and managerial personnel, skeptics and cost-conscious individuals, is most effective. Discussion and decision can be accomplished in working lunches. The trial can be completed within 2 weeks, and a consensus is usually arrived at after 1 or 2 trials.
The cost to upgrade to safety devices has been steadily decreasing. A common example, using needles typical for childhood vaccinations, shows a $3.40 increase per child for all 20 injections given from birth to 5 years. When multipied by all the children in a practice or clinic, the total cost increase is far less than the estimated $2500 per NSI.

CONCLUSION:
An efficient process to EXPLORE, EVALUATE, and EXECUTE a plan to convert to OSHA compliant sharps is simple, inexpensive, and intrinsic to best medical standards.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
How to convert to OSHA compliant safety devices efficiently and economically.