A sharp is anything that can prick, cut or puncture the skin. This includes tools common in medical professions such as needles, blades, or scalpels, as well as knives, razors and nails.
Sharp injuries put those affected at risk of severe infection and illness. This online course supports employers in meeting their legal duty to provide sufficient training to anyone that may be exposed to this hazard.
Why Is Sharps Training Important?
Sharp injuries are a well-known risk within the healthcare sector. A sharp contaminated with infected blood from a patient can transmit more than 20 severe diseases.
Some 16 billion injections are administrated in and out of hospitals around the globe annually. A large number of these needles aren’t disposed correctly which can cause harm to employees and other patients. Approximately 1.43 cases of Hepatitis C or HIV are transmitted to healthcare workers per year, according to National surveillance data.
This means safe handling and disposal of sharp products is mandatory to minimise injury. It will also reduce the spread of severe disease, and it is a legal requirement.