Needlestick record keeping: What OSHA requires
With two new Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations that address the reporting of needlestick injuries, recordable injuries for hospitals are expected to increase by about 300,000 per year. Here’s what you need to do to comply:
1. Beginning next year (Jan. 1, 2002), hospitals can use the OSHA 300 and 301 logs to record needlesticks, as long as the recorded information includes the type and brand of device.
2. If needlesticks are recorded on the OSHA 300 and 301, they must be easily separated out for analysis. For example, if the data is computer-based, the program must allow for sorting by injury type. If the log is kept in paper form, needlesticks must be recorded on a separate page.
3. Hospitals must maintain a distinct needlestick log as of April 18, 2001, based on requirements in the revised bloodborne pathogens standard. These injuries are not recordable on the OSHA 300 until 2002.
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