What are safety-engineered needles?
Safety-engineered needles are needles with a built-in safety feature or mechanism which eliminates or minimizes the risk of a needle-stick injury. Examples include needles that retract into the syringe or vacuum tube holder, hinged or sliding shields attached to the needle, or blunt tip needles. Aside from safety-engineered needles, systems can be used to collect bodily fluids or to administer medication and fluids. Examples include connectors for IV delivery systems. As well, use of conventional suture needles can sometimes be replaced by other methods such as blunt suture needles, staples, surgical adhesive, or cautery. How else can needlestick injuries be prevented? Preventing the risk of needlestick injuries by eliminating the hazard through engineering controls as mentioned above, is the most effective way to protect workers from the infectious diseases transmitted by needlestick injuries. However, the use of safety-engineered needles should be supported with other prevention meas
