Copyright 1999 Globe Newspaper Company
The Boston
Globe
May 22, 1999, Saturday ,City Edition
SECTION: NATIONAL/FOREIGN; Pg. A14
LENGTH: 168 words
HEADLINE:
OSHA to mull regulations targeting needle injuries
BYLINE: Associated Press
BODY:
WASHINGTON - The Occupational Safety and Health
Administration will consider requiring hospitals and health care facilities to
use safety devices that could reduce needlestick injuries to
workers.
OSHA Administrator Charles N. Jeffress said Thursday that the
agency, this fall, will consider whether new requirements on safety devices are
necessary to reduce needlestick injuries to the nation's 5.6
million health care workers. Meanwhile, an OSHA report, based on comments from
400 health care workers and facilities, stated that safety devices are not being
used widely enough to substantially reduce the 590,000 needlestick injuries each
year.
Needles and other sharp medical objects potentially carry
bloodborne illnesses such as AIDS and hepatitis. Now, it is up to individual
facilities whether to use protective devices.
In the next four to six
weeks, OSHA also plans to strengthen a requirement that health care facilities
evaluate their policies on the use of safety devices.
LOAD-DATE: May 25, 1999 
