Treating a sharps injury

Health care workers who are exposed to needles – for example, those administering a COVID-19 vaccine – are at risk of sharps injuries and exposure to bloodborne pathogens. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines a sharps injury as “a penetrating stab wound from a needle, scalpel, or other sharp object that may result in exposure to blood or other body fluids.” Sharps injuries can occur in many ways:

• Disposal-related activities (e.g., overfilled sharps container, sharps container too far away, leaving device on a surface)
• Activities after use and prior to disposal, such as item disassembly or a multistep process
• Recapping a used needle

If a worker experiences a sharps injury, CDC recommends following these steps:

• Wash the area with soap and water for 15 minutes.
• Apply direct pressure to the area to control bleeding.
• Seek medical attention to determine any risk associated with exposure.
• Report blood and body fluid exposure immediately, as it poses a risk of disease transmission. Reporting the incident as soon as possible will assist professionals in obtaining a test from the source.
• Remember to complete an incident report (where applicable) so that a root-cause investigation can occur and help prevent similar types of incidents from occurring to others.

For more information about preventing needlesticks and other sharps injuries, go to cdc.gov/nora/councils/hcsa/stopsticks.