It’s about being prepared.
- Train in safe needle use
- Avoid using needles when not necessary
- Ensure enough rest when working with needles
- Avoid recapping needles
- Use only one hand with a needle
- Do not rush
- Do not walk with a used needle
- Do not hand a needle to someone else
- Have a proper workspace
- Dispose of needles in a sharps disposal box
- Discard sharps disposal box before it is full
- Never reach into a sharps disposal box
- Use needles with safety devices
- Use safety blades and razors
- Avoid using glass when plastic could work
- Consistently use the same type of needle
- Report any needlesticks immediately to an employer
- Look for risks for needlesticks
- Determine why any needlesticks have happened
Just to be on the safe side, don’t use needles unless you know what you’re doing and you need to. There’s a risk in using a needle. Every time you use one it can risk a needlestick. It can also create more risks for the patient (who can always get an infection and pain at the site of the injection). In general, only use needles when well trained to do so and when it’s necessary.