FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 26, 2000

CONTACT:
Hope Hall, 202-651-7027
Cindy Price, 202-651-7038
rn=realnews@ana.org
www.nursingworld.org/rnrealnews

WASHINGTON, DC-- After a long campaign to educate the public and lawmakers by the American Nurses Association (ANA) and its constituent member associations, nurses today celebrate the passage of needlestick prevention legislation in the U.S. Congress. Today the Senate unanimously voted to pass H.R. 5178/S.3067, the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act. Members of the House approved this legislation on Oct. 4.

The Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act was introduced in the Senate by Sens. James Jeffords (R-VT), Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Michael Enzi (R-WY) and Harry Reid (D-NV) and in the House by Reps. Cass Ballenger (R-NC) and Major Owens (D-NY). This legislation, which drew strong bipartisan support, provides for needlestick protections under the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

"Nurses across the nation are rejoicing today," said ANA President Mary Foley, MS, RN. "For so long we have advocated for this legislation, knowing the impact it would have on nurses across the country. This legislation will save countless lives."

Registered nurses (RNs) and other health care workers face the risk of needlestick injury every day -- exposing themselves to potentially lethal bloodborne pathogens such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C. To prevent these types of injuries, ANA has been active in advocating for needlestick prevention legislation that will protect health care workers from the approximately 800,000 needlestick injuries that occur in the United States annually.

Over the years, several ANA members have been actively involved in championing needlestick prevention legislation. ANA members Karen Daley, MPH, RN, of Massachusetts, Lynda Arnold, RN, of Pennsylvania and Lisa Black, RN, of Nevada have been leaders in describing the need for this legislation and have disclosed their personal stories of how a needlestick injury changed their lives. Both Daley and Black contracted HIV and hepatitis C from a needlestick injury. Arnold contracted HIV.

"These courageous nurses can now begin to see the fruits of their labor," said Foley. "They shared their stories in order to put a face on the tragedy of needlestick injury and unselfishly worked to protect their colleagues and other health care workers in the health care workplace. They represent the countless number of nurses who experienced this same tragedy. I commend these women for their efforts and rejoice with them in the passage of this legislation."

The Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act amends the existing Bloodborne Pathogen Standard administered by the OSHA to require the use of safer devices to protect from sharps injuries. It also requires that employers solicit the input of non-managerial employees responsible for direct patient care, who are potentially exposed to sharps injuries in identification, evaluation and selection of effective engineering and work-practice controls. The bill also requires employers to maintain a sharps injury log to contain, at a minimum the type and brand of device involved in the incident; the department or work area where the exposure incident occurred; and an explanation of how the incident occurred. The information would be recorded and maintained in a way that would protect the confidentiality of the injured employees. The log would be an important source of data for researchers to determine the relative effectiveness and safety of devices now on the market and those that may be developed in the future.

"This legislation will ensure substantial reduction in the hundreds of thousands of needlestick injuries that occur annually," noted Foley. "I applaud the Senate for acting so quickly to pass this bill. The nursing community appreciates the strong leadership and commitment shown by the sponsors of this legislation who put aside partisan differences to provide this historic and necessary protection."

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The American Nurses Association is the only full-service professional organization representing the nation's 2.6 million Registered Nurses through its 54 constituent associations. ANA advances the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Congress and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.

2000 press releases

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