Environmental Health & Safety

Disposal of Improperly Discarded Sharps

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Disposal of Improperly Discarded Sharps

1. PURPOSE

This procedure provides guidance to University of Rochester employees who discover one or more sharps improperly discarded on University of Rochester property.


2. PERSONNEL AFFECTED

University of Rochester Facilities personnel covered under the University of Rochester Bloodborne Pathogens Control Plan.  Examples include Grounds, Environmental/Building Service Workers, Public Safety Officers, and Parking.


3. DEFINITIONS

Sharps Container - hard plastic puncture resistant container made for disposal of used sharps.
Sharps - a grouping that may include needles (with and without attached syringes or tubing), blades (scalpels, razors), blunt cannulae, broken blood tubes, mircoscope slides, broken or intact contaminated glass, capillary tubes, glass pipettes, and/or pasteur pipettes.


4. RESPONSIBILITIES

The individual department will

1. Ensure and document that appropriate staff have received mandatory annual bloodborne pathogens training.
2. Provide access to sharps containers (Sharps containers must be available to staff when needed)
3. Provide access to designated disposal location for sharps containers
4. Provide appropriate tools for placing sharps into sharps containers (i.e. tongs, tweezers, pan and broom, scooper, puncture resistant gloves)


5. PROCEDURES
1. Staff

Report discovery of improperly discarded sharps to supervisor.

2. Supervisor

Designate appropriate employee to clean up and dispose of sharps.
1. Verify that employee is covered by UR Bloodborne Pathogens Control Plan.
   All UR employees at the University who may come into contact with blood or body fluids as a routine part of their job are covered by the UR Bloodborne Pathogens Control Plan. This includes Facilities staff, Building Service Workers, Grounds, Parking and Public Safety.
2. Verify that employee has received annual bloodborne training.
   Bloodborne pathogen training is created by EHS and is available through MyPath or can be provided in-person as requested. Training is required annually.


3. Staff and Supervisor
1. Obtain sharps container.
2. Obtain appropriate tools for hands free disposal and/or personal protective equipment (i.e. puncture resistant gloves).
3. Use tool and/or puncture resistant gloves to carefully pick up sharps and deposit into sharps container.
4. Close sharps container
5. Take closed sharps container to designated disposal location


6. REFERENCES


• University of Rochester Bloodborne Pathogens Exposure Control Plan
• OSHA Standard: 29 CFR 1910.1030: Bloodborne Pathogens
• MyPath training - EHS Bloodborne Pathogens Training
7. APPENDICES/FORMS

Not applicable

8. REVISION HISTORY



Date	Revision No.	Description
6/22/2011	New	Establishes written guidelines for handling problem of improperly disposal of sharps
7/20/2016	1	Minor corrections/updates
2/16/2022	2	Triennial update - Minor edits

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QUESTIONS or COMMENTS?
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This page last updated 3/31/2022. Disclaimer.