ANA calls for needlestick legislation

Karen Daley, MPH, RN, who contracted HIV and hepatitis C after a needlestick injury, testified on behalf of ANA on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OHSA) Compliance Directive on Enforcement Procedures for the Occupational Exposures to Bloodborne Pathogens. The testimony was delivered June 22 at a hearing of the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Workforce Protections.

Health care workers sustain approximately 600,000 to one million needlestick and sharps injuries every year resulting in at least 1,000 new cases of health care workers with HIV, hepatitis C, or hepatitis B. Despite the availability of safer systems and data indicating that the use of safety devices could reduce the number of needlestick injuries by more than 80 percent, less than 15 percent of U.S. hospitals use safe needle devices. While applauding OSHA's compliance directive that provides instructions to its inspectors to cite employers for failing to evaluate, purchase and implement safer needles and sharps devices, the ANA is also calling for legislation.

Daley, president of the Massachusetts Nurses Association, shared her personal story at the hearing and explained that federal legislation is needed for many reasons. First, legislation could protect public employees, who are not covered by OSHA. In addition, legislation could require the involvement of frontline health care workers in identifying and evaluating safe needle devices. Legislation also could mandate that training be provided to frontline health care workers on proper use of the safe devices and ensure that needlestick and sharps injuries continue to be reported on OSHA 200 logs.

ANA is working with Republican and Democrat leaders in both the House and Senate to move needlestick prevention legislation forward. For more information on ANA's Safe Needles Save Lives campaign, go to http://www.needlestick.org/.