More states protecting against needlestick injuries

Massachusetts and Ohio became the latest of 17 states to enact legislation aimed at protecting health care workers from needlestick injuries that can lead to exposure to serious bloodborne pathogens, such as HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Both the Massachusetts and Ohio nurses associations had a prominent role in securing the legislation's passage in their states.

Both laws require the use of needlestick safety devices by health care workers. In Ohio, the law mandates the formation of a subcommittee -- of which 50 percent are frontline public health care workers -- that will study methods to protect from exposure incidents, including needle-less systems and engineered sharps injury protection. The subcommittee also will study prevention procedures, including training and education, strategic placement of sharps collectors and use of protective equipment. From this study, the subcommittee will create a list of recommended practice and systems to be adopted six months after the effective date as the "Ohio Employment Risk Reduction Standard."

Also under the Ohio law, public employers are required to select engineering and work practice controls that include needlestick prevention devices that are OSHA compliant, develop exposure control plans and update them at least yearly, train employees in the use of safer devices and maintain records of exposure incidents.

The Massachusetts law also requires health care facilities to make devices available wherever feasible, include sharps injury prevention technology as an engineering practice in the workplace, develop a written exposure plan and develop and implement an exposure incident log. In addition, the state Department of Public Health would promulgate rules and regulations to reduce needlestick and sharps injuries or exposure incidents by mandating increasing participation in hepatitis B immunization programs and creating a list of better-engineered systems for purchasers to use as a guide.

See the map below for a complete listing of states that have introduced or enacted needlestick legislation.