Engineering, work practice, and administrative controls elements for safety

Engineering controlsEngineering Controls include devices such as sharps disposal containers, syringes that do not need to be recapped, sharps with engineered sharps injury protection, and needle recapping devices. The Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act became law in 2000. It requires dental practices to evaluate and select safer sharps devices as they become available. It also requires that the evaluation be conducted annually, and that employers solicit input from non-managerial staff (the clinical team). Then the documentation must show the decision to use or not use the devices. (Details on how to obtain a complementary copy of a sharps evaluation form is provided at the end of this article). Work practice controls Work Practice Controls reduce the chance of exposure by altering the manner in which a task is performed. An example of a common work practice control is to recap a needle with a “one-handed scoop” technique. OSHA prohibits recapping needles by holding the cap in one hand and the sharp in the other. Other work practice controls include using instruments instead of fingers to retract tissue during suturing or injections, announcing instrument passes, and keeping sharp ends pointed away from dental workers. Administrative controls Administrative Controls include education, training, and written plans to help dental professionals understand how to avoid accidental exposure to blood and body fluid. OSHA annual bloodborne pathogen training and ongoing infection-control education are essential to office safety. The office’s written exposure control plan can serve as the Standard Operating Procedures for preventing occupational exposures. All clinical employees should review these written plans at least annually. ConclusionCreating a culture of safety at work includes team evaluation of available engineering controls, review of work practice controls, and providing administrative controls. You can promote safety by having periodic training sessions on how to handle and dispose of sharps safely. You can also meet OSHA’s requirement to evaluate safer sharps by obtaining samples of engineered sharps with sharps injury protection from your dental supplier, and use the author’s complementary evaluation form to document your findings. To receive a copy of the sharps evaluation form, send an e-mail request to [email protected]. Author bioLeslie Canham is a dental speaker and consultant specializing in infection control and OSHA compliance. She has more than 36 years of experience in dentistry. Canham is the founder of Leslie Canham Seminars, providing in-office training, mock inspections, consulting, and online seminars and webinars to help the dental team navigate state and federal regulations. Reach Canham at (888) 853-7543 or Leslie Canham.