Publications and Resources

Scalpel Safety

The ongoing incidence of sharps injuries is staggering. In Australia, over 18,000 sharps injuries are estimated to occur every year, with 1 million injuries occurring across Europe and 385,000 in US Hospitals.

Many of these sharps injuries are preventable the CDC in the US estimates that 62-88% of sharps injuries can be prevented using safety-engineered device.

Scalpel Safety is the overarching term used to cover safety scalpels, single-handed scalpel blade remover, and alternatives to scalpels such as diathermy. Standard wording used covers not using hands, instruments or two-handed devices to remove used scalpel blades from scalpel handles.

However, best practice is considered to be the use of a single-handed scalpel blade remover combined with a Hands-Free Passing Technique (HFPT) in combination with education about the problem and training on safe use of the engineering controls.

Ampoule Safety

While needlestick and scalpel blade injuries often take the spotlight, ampoule injuries remail a hidden yet significant threat. These incidents are alarmingly common and have serious consequences, including physical harm, lost productivity, and potential contamination risks.

Ampoule injuries account for up to 42% of sharps incidents, with rates even higher in fields like anaesthesia, where reported injury rates exceed 54%.

Dangers include:

• Physical and psychological trauma
• Infection risk
• Medication contamination
• Clinical and workplace implications