Understanding Sharps Disposal

If you have a commercial washroom, you need to have a method in place for sharps disposal. Failing to do so puts your customers and employees at risk. It can make people who need to use sharps feel unwelcome on your premises. Worse, it might even expose you to potential liability. Fortunately, Flick has you covered. You can get sharps disposal services from us, either as a stand-alone service or as part of our washroom hygiene services.

What are sharps?

Sharps are devices with a sharp edge that can cut or puncture the skin. While something like broken glass might be sharp, it is a medical term usually used in relation to medical devices.
Some examples of medical sharps include:

• Needles
• Syringes
• Auto Injectors
• Lancets
• Infusion Sets
• Connection Needle/ Set

Who uses sharps?

People in medical facilities may use sharps. However, many people also use sharps in their daily lives. People may use them on themselves or their pets. They are used for blood testing for people with conditions like diabetes, which require regular blood testing. They are also used to administer medications for conditions like:

• Diabetes
• Cancer
• Post-Surgical Recovery
• Blood Clotting Disorders
• Allergies
• Arthritis
• Hepatitis
• HIV/AIDS
• Migraines
• Infertility
• Osteoporosis
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Psoriasis

With such a wide range of people using them, it is easy to see why every business should have sharps disposal in their washrooms.

Why is it important to dispose of sharps separately from regular trash?

Safe sharps disposal helps reduce the risk of spreading illness from someone getting accidentally stuck by a sharp. Used sharps pose a health risk to people and humans. Infections that can be spread through a stick include:

• HIV
• Hepatitis B
• Hepatitis C

While those are the most commonly spread illnesses, sharps can spread any bloodborne pathogen that can live outside of the body.

What is safe sharps disposal?

To dispose of sharps safely, you need to ensure they are placed in a special sharp’s container. These containers are usually made with puncture resistance plastic, have tight-fitting puncture-resistant lids, and leak-resistant. If you cannot get an approved sharps container, you can use a heavy-duty plastic household container. However, this is not a good solution for commercial spaces.

Feeling overwhelmed? Figuring out sharp’s disposal can seem intimidating. However, we can make it easy for you. We provide containers and handle every aspect of disposal. So, contact us today to make your workplace safer and more inviting for your customers and employees.