Page |1
Guidelines for the Safe
Handling of Sharps
SECTION I
Purpose & Scope
The purpose of these guidelines is to develop practices that ensure the safe handling
and disposal of sharps materials at the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC).
Sharp items are considered a hazard and must be handled properly in order to mitigate
an occupational exposure. Engineering controls and laboratory work practices should
be implemented to mitigate the risk of a sharps injury.
SECTION II
Regulations
 OSHA 1910.1030 Bloodborne Pathogen Standard
 Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories, 5th Edition.
 NIH Guidelines for Research Involving Recombinant DNA Molecules
SECTION III
Definitions
Sharps
Objects capable of penetrating the skin. There are three categories of sharps.
1) The following sharps are always considered biohazardous and therefore must be
placed in a sharps container. These include: needles, needles with syringes, needles
with vacutainers, and blades (razors, scalpels, X-acto, etc.).
2) The following items must be placed in a sharps container if they are contaminated
with medical/biohazardous materials. These include: broken glassware, glassware
with sharp edges or points, hematocrits, Pasteur pipettes and glass slides.
3) The following items do not need to be placed in a sharps container if they are not
contaminated with medical/biohazardous materials. These include: broken
glassware, glassware with sharp edges or points, Pasteur pipettes, hematocrits and
glass slides. To protect our housekeeping staff these materials must still be placed
in a rigid container and labeled as “Broken Glass.” More information regarding
disposal of broken glassware can be found here.
2015-04-20
University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC) Environment, Health & Safety (EHS)
3901 Rainbow Blvd., MS 3032 - Kansas City, KS 66160 - (913) 588-1081 - ehs@kumc.edu
- Website
Page |2
Guidelines for the Safe
Handling of Sharps
Bloodborne Pathogens
Microorganisms present in human blood that have the capability to cause disease.
Universal Precautions
The procedure for treating all human materials as infectious.
Biohazards
Infectious agents or hazardous biological materials that present a risk or potential risk to
the health of humans, animals or the environment. The risk can be direct through
infection or indirect through damage to the environment.
Biohazardous materials include certain types of recombinant DNA; organisms and
viruses infectious to humans, animals or plants (e.g. parasites, viruses, bacteria, fungi,
prions, rickettsia); and biologically active agents (i.e. toxins, allergens, venoms) that may
cause disease in other living organisms or cause significant impact to the environment
or community.
Parenteral Exposure
Piercing of mucous membranes due to needle sticks, animal bites, cuts or abrasions.
SECTION IV
Roles & Responsibilities
Principal Investigator
Responsible for ensuring work practice controls are implemented and all lab personnel
receive hands-on training annually for handling sharps safely. Individual departments
and/or laboratories are responsible for purchasing proper sharps containers.
Environment, Health & Safety
Responsible for advising KUMC staff regarding proper sharps usage and disposal
procedures.
2015-04-20
University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC) Environment, Health & Safety (EHS)
3901 Rainbow Blvd., MS 3032 - Kansas City, KS 66160 - (913) 588-1081 - ehs@kumc.edu
- Website
Page |3
Guidelines for the Safe
Handling of Sharps
KU Hospital Occupational Health Clinic
Responsible for ensuring personnel receive appropriate treatment in the event an
occupational exposure has occurred. Responsible for the initiation of Worker’s
Compensation claims in the event of an occupational exposure.
Laboratory Animal Resources (LAR)
Responsible for ensuring common animal areas are equipped with sharps containers
and sharps are disposed of properly.
SECTION V
Procedures
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES
 General Handling of Sharps
o Work practices and primary controls that reduce the risk must be implemented.
o Never collect broken glass or other sharps directly by hands. Use tongs, forceps
or dust pans for this purpose.
o When working with a partner, use the no-hands pass rule when working with
sharps (items placed in designated field by one person, then later retrieved by
assistant to prevent hand to hand transfer.
o Keep the sharps disposal container or needle box in the immediate vicinity of
use to facilitate prompt disposal of the intact needle and syringe immediately
after use.
o Immediately discard needles into a sharps container.
o Needles should not be recapped, bent, sheared, broken, or removed from
disposable syringes or otherwise manipulated by hand prior to disposal.
o If you determine that there is a valid reason to recap a needle, it is incumbent
on you to develop the standard operating procedure for your work area that is
specific to your work. You should document in written form when and how to
perform such procedures and submit this to ehs@kumc.edu for proper training
and approval.
o Capped needles are permitted within the sharps container only if they have
never been uncapped.
o Non-disposable sharps must be placed in a hard walled container for transport
to the autoclave.
2015-04-20
University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC) Environment, Health & Safety (EHS)
3901 Rainbow Blvd., MS 3032 - Kansas City, KS 66160 - (913) 588-1081 - ehs@kumc.edu
- Website
Page |4
Guidelines for the Safe
Handling of Sharps
o
o
o
Sharps items or containers are never disposed inside regular trash.
Sharps items contaminated with radioactive isotopes or hazardous chemicals
are placed inside a separate hard-walled container for disposal by EHS office as
radioactive waste or hazardous waste.
If sharps items are found in regular trash, label the trash so that no one uses the
trash or disposes of it and contact the Environment, Health and Safety office at
ehs@kumc.edu or call 913-588-1081.
 Sharps Container Properties
o Easily accessible & close to immediate area where sharps were used
o Puncture resistant
o Leakproof on sides and bottom
o Labeled with biohazard label
o Closable for immediate containment prior to disposal to prevent spillage
o Sharps containers must remain upright at all times.
 Sharps Container Disposal & Acquisition
o Never allow the sharps container to overflow. Once the sharps container is full,
close the top and activate the locking mechanism where it cannot be reopened.
o Individual laboratories are responsible for purchasing sharps containers.
o EHS will pick up full sharps containers. Fill out the form at the following link:
http://www.kumc.edu/compliance/environment-health-and-safety-office/forms/biohazard pick-up-form.html
 Glassware
o Plasticware should be used whenever possible rather than glassware.
o Broken glassware should be picked-up by using a brush and dustpan.
o Medical/Biohazardous contaminated broken glassware should be placed inside
a sharps container.
o Un-contaminated broken glassware should be placed inside a broken glass bin.
2015-04-20
University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC) Environment, Health & Safety (EHS)
3901 Rainbow Blvd., MS 3032 - Kansas City, KS 66160 - (913) 588-1081 - ehs@kumc.edu
- Website
Page |5
Guidelines for the Safe
Handling of Sharps
SECTION V





References
KUMC Biosafety Manual (a living document)
Lab specific Laboratory Safety Manual
Laboratory Animal Resources SOP (if applicable)
KUMC Exposure Control Plan
Purchases of sharps containers can be made from a variety of sources such as Fisher
Scientific, Grainger, or other companies found on any search engine.
2015-04-20
University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC) Environment, Health & Safety (EHS)
3901 Rainbow Blvd., MS 3032 - Kansas City, KS 66160 - (913) 588-1081 - ehs@kumc.edu
- Website