Hospital Workplace Safety

Haddon's Ten Strategies for Blood Borne Pathogens

Used to identify the most appropriate corresponding strategies for the injury problem of a sharps or needle stick.

1. Prevent creation of the hazard – Only required blood draws, baseline use of standard precautions.

2. Reduce amount of the hazard – Mobile phlebotomist or “lab-only” blood draws.

3. Prevent release of the hazard – Proper sharps containers and waste management.

4. Alter release of the hazard – Immediate sharp disposal, available sharps container.

5. Separate person and hazard in time and space – Blood draws to be done in controlled setting (if possible).

6. Place barrier between person and the hazard – Use PPE’s gloves, masks and eye shields, exposures are not only from sharps sticks, but also from bodily fluid sprayed, leaked, projected, etc.

7. Modify basic qualities of the hazard – Minimize distractions (busy rooms with many personnel), use safety mechanisms on sharps, correct handling of surgical tools, and chart tagging of aggressive patients.

8. Strengthen resistance to the hazard – Annual reporting of hospital exposures with associated training session.

9. Detect quickly – Make the reporting mechanisms easily available, approachable (without stigma or hassle), employee health services (EHS) should be notified even if patient opts not to receive medical care.

10. Repair the damage – EHS should evaluate reported exposures to find likely cause (time constraints, combative patient, improperly trained personnel, etc.); report findings back to original department.