The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, a part of the CDC, offers a free, downloadable and adaptable poster which outlines steps staff members should take in the event of a sharps injury.
The poster, titled "Reporting = Prevention," offers the following best practices:
- Wash sticks and cuts with soap and water.
- Flush splashes with water.
- Irrigate eyes with water, saline, or sterile irrigates.
- Report incident to your supervisor.
- Seek medical treatment immediately.
The poster is a resource of the NIOSH STOP STICKS Campaign, which was developed to raise awareness of the dangers of sharps injuries and to provide tools so that others can conduct their own campaign in order to reduce the number of sharps injuries.
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The poster is designed in a PowerPoint format so organizations can insert a facility logo, contact information and pictures of staff members modeling the reporting of a sharps injury.
Download the NIOSH sharps safety poster (pptx) for adaptation and use in your facility.
Note: View our database providing 85-plus reports that link to free, downloadable and adaptable tools for use in surgery centers, hospitals and other organizations by clicking here.
Related Articles on Sharps Safety:
NIOSH Launches New STOP STICKS Campaign Website
23 Safe Work Practices for Preventing Sharps Injuries
Sharps Safety in Ambulatory Settings: What Would You Do?