Needlestick Accidents are a Nationwide Problem for Health Care Workers

Reusable needles are a growing threat to healthcare workers. Between 600,000 and 800,000health care workers are accidentally stuck by outdated needles every year. Thousands of these workers will contract serious diseases such as HIV or hepatitis. Hundreds of people will die. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, the risk of infections from unsafe needles may not be immediately recognized and may be underestimated because many needle sticks go unreported.  Consider the personal experience of Ellen Dayton with this dangerous hazard. March 20, 1996, Ellen Dayton, a nurse practitioner, had just finished drawing blood from a young cocaine and speed addict infected with HIV. Holding the needle in her right hand, she reached across with her left, moving reflexively to catch three blood-collection tubes as they rolled toward a counter’s edge. The needle cut her. Two months later, she tested positive for hepatitis C. Within 13 months she learned that she had HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Today, she can no longer take care of the weak and the sick because she must take care of herself. A study by the CDC found that safe needles could reduce needle sticks up to 76 percent. "Safe needles" are devices that retract, cover, or blunt needles after use. These protection measures have been available for almost a decade. Yet, nine out of ten needles used in the U.S. are without any safety devices. The opposition to protection measures suggests that hospitals cannot afford to spend tens of thousands of dollars on new needles. However, as Kaiser Permanente, a major hospital chain, has concluded, they can’t afford not to. In the long run, the added social and financial cost pales in comparison to the cost of accidental needlesticks. The average cost when a health care worker is stuck is $2,800 and when an infection occurs the costs could rise to $500,000. The price of safe needles, however, is just 20 cents more per use. Inevitably, safe needle legislation is common sense and the ultimate savings will come in terms of people’s lives.  Andrew Stern, President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), explains the issue best. "Each day we wait, more workers will live in anxiety, more workers will get infected, and more workers will die. American health care workers deserve better." SEIU has launched a nationwide campaign to win safe needle laws to strengthen the OSHA directive. Legislators have been responding to this growing health threat. Safe needle legislation has passed in California, Tennessee, Texas, New Jersey, Iowa, Georgia, Alaska, Maryland, Minnesota and West Virginia. Legislation has been proposed in 17 other states. Most recently, On April 10, Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura became the seventh governor to sign SEIU-backed legislation requiring the use of safer needles in health care facilities. The state models have provided empirical evidence that safety needle legislation can be both safe for health care workers and cost effective. StateAction.org Links: Safe Needles State Issues page – For comprehensive information, model legislation and other valuable resources.