Union needlestick campaigns

SEIU site TDICT site See UK Sharps campaign Haz 70 (PDF) UNISON needlesticks campaign UNISON U-magazine - Making a point Blood-Borne Viruses in the Workplace, GMB guide The Safer Needles Network Website A network that aims to raise awareness of needlestick injuries and campaigns for the use of safer needles. UNISON was a founder member. Needlestick injuries. Factsheet from the Canadian Autoworkers (CAW). VTHC OHS reps hazards needlestick injuries NHS Plus needlestick advice and information Needle Points An AFSCME Guide to Sharps Safety UNISON wins caretaker syringe trauma appeal How to Protect Yourself From Needlestick Injuries (NIOSH guide) BRITAIN GMB campaign at the sharp end Local authority union GMB is campaigning for better protection for workers from injuries caused by discarded needles. It's "At the sharp end" guide is calling for a legal requirement for all accidents and injuries to be reported to the health and safety authorities; employers to implement safe working practices; free vaccination for hepatitis B and tetanus for all at risk workers; and prompt support following an injury including 24 hour support and counselling. Risks 99, 29 March 2003 BRITAIN UNISON gets the (safer) needle Workplace health campaigners have said preventing potentially life threatening needlestick injuries is 'a no-brainer', and have slammed the government for failing to act. Risks 79, 9 November 2002 BRITAIN Employers get the needle in compensation case UNISON is calling for new, safer needles to be introduced throughout the NHS after a compensation award of £58,000. About 100,000 accidents involve needles and sharps in the UK each year and the number is growing. Risks 77, 26 October 2002 UNISON news release

SEIU: Health Care Workers Say Bill Will Save Thousands of Lives

Members of the nation's largest health care union say passage of bipartisan legislation in the U.S. Senate today will protect health care workers from deadly needlestick injuries that can spread HIV and hepatitis C.

"This bill will save the lives of thousands of health care workers," said Andrew L. Stern, SEIU president. "Today's Senate action is a victory for health care workers nationwide."

The bill requires the use of newer, safer devices in health facilities by strengthening OSHA's standard on bloodborne pathogens. These devices automatically retract, cover, or blunt needles immediately after they are used.

The bill also requires that workers who provide direct patient care have a role in determining which safer needles to use in their workplaces, and consistent documentation of all needlestick injuries.

An estimated 600,000 to 800,000 needlestick injuries occur each year - two thousand every day. More than 1,000 of those workers contract hepatitis C or HIV.

[SEIU press release 26 October 2000]

Why we need a federal law to prevent needlesticks: • 600,000 to 800,000 health care workers are accidentally stuck by needles each year. • More than 1,000 of these workers will contract serious diseases, such as HIV or hepatitis B or C. • If stuck by a contaminated needle, a worker and his or her family must live through a terrifying six months or longer to find out if the worker is infected. Safer needles exist today that can prevent the spread of disease. • Safer needles have such features as a protective shield or a mechanism that automatically retracts the needles into the barrel after use. • The FDA has cleared more than 250 such devices for marketing, yet only 15% of needles used by hospitals today are safer needles. • Most hospitals are not buying or even evaluating safer needles, and regulatory agencies are not requiring them to use safer products. "For the price of a postage stamp, for 33 cents,we could save health care workers' lives." – Andrew L. Stern, President, SEIU, Service Employees International Union From SEIU web site