Sharps and Syringe Handling Safe Work Procedure

Suits waste and recycling, cleaning, parks and landscaping, civil works, plumbing, events and hospitality businesses whose workers may find discarded needles. It sets out a no-hands rule, the equipment, and what to do straight after a needlestick.

What Is Included In Our Sharps and Syringe Handling Safe Work Procedure?

• Safe work procedure with an approval sign-off
• No-hands rule and the tools and sharps containers to use
• Duties by role, from managers to first aiders and contractors
• Finding, picking up, containing and carrying sharps
• Needlestick steps: wash with soap and water, get prompt medical advice
• When a sharps injury or infection may be notifiable, and the tests to apply
• Workers’ compensation injury report
• Vaccination offer as our own practice, not a legal duty
• Records, training and review

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld): s 19 (primary duty of care), s 26A (approved codes of practice), s 28 (duties of workers), ss 35 and 36 (notifiable incident, serious injury or illness), s 38 (notification and record), ss 47 and 49 (consultation)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld): ss 34 to 38 (risk management), s 39 (information, training and instruction), s 42 (first aid), s 44 (personal protective equipment), s 699 (prescribed serious illnesses)
• The Regulation’s health monitoring duty (s 368) concerns hazardous chemicals and does not reach infections from sharps, and neither the Act nor the Regulation sets a vaccination duty for sharps work. Offering vaccination advice is our own practice
• Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation Act 2003 (Qld): s 132 (applying for compensation) and s 133 (employer’s duty to report an injury)
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021 (Qld), an approved code of practice: appendix F (standard precautions, sharps), appendix E (first aid kit contents) and section 3.4 (first aid facilities). Under s 26A of the WHS Act a business must follow an approved code or manage the risk in a way that gives an equivalent or higher standard
• AS 4031 and AS/NZS 4261 (sharps containers) are named in the code and are cited by title only
• Health and clinical waste law and public health law apply to sharps waste. They are not covered by this document and no sections are cited, so get advice on them
• This document is general information for Queensland workplaces and is not legal advice

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (6 pages), A4 portrait
• Business details and document control typed once and filled in on every page, plus a space for your logo
• Purpose, scope and a policy statement with an approval sign-off
• Definitions, and responsibilities for each role
• A step-by-step procedure that says who does what
• Records, training, monitoring and review, related documents and a revision history

Review it and adjust it to suit your business, your sites and the way your team works, and talk it through with your workers. If you have any trouble downloading this template, you can contact us at any time. Please make sure you read our Disclaimer before downloading.