New training course confronts significant risk to council workers

According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), local authority workers are at significant risk of needle stick and sharp injuries through a range of different activities.

Refuse collectors have been identified as one of the most at-risk categories, but council activities such as street cleaning, ground maintenance, public sector housing, education work, social welfare and mortuary work are also thought to put employees at risk.

Guidance and discussion of needle stick injuries and the exposure to blood-borne viruses (BBV) is often primarily aimed at nurses and other healthcare workers, however, most local authorities in the UK do issue guidance on the risks of handling BBV contaminated materials to their wider workforce.

The HSE states that the waste and recycling industry is, statistically, one of the highest risk occupations in the UK. The sector has an accident rate of 2,500 per every 100,000 workers, which is at least four times the average for general industry. Recent years have seen an increase in recycling activity as a result of government targets and this has only increased the injury rate. HSE Inspectors began targeting local authority waste operations back in 2005 and highlighted concerns about needle stick and sharps injuries, among other hazards.

Needle stick injuries can expose workers to over 20 different BBVs. Some of these viruses, such as Hepatitis C and HIV, can prove fatal. Some other bodily fluids, such as urine, saliva and vomit, can also carry a minor risk of infection, which is made greater if they are contaminated with blood. In addition to council workers, other types of work where such contact may occur include emergency services, custodial services, hairdressing and beautician’s work, laboratory work, military, plumbing, tattooing and piercing, and vehicle recovery and repair.

First Response Training have recognised the need for greater awareness in relation to needle stick and sharps injuries and have therefore introduced a new training course to meet the requirements of industry. Head of Quality and Curriculum, Charlotte Potter, explains: "The key factor in preventing needle stick injuries is proper instruction and appropriate training. This is clearly a worry for many council, refuse and other industry workers and it is important that the issue is addressed and that steps are taken to ensure their safety. Good training can provide security for workers and reduce the amount of preventable injuries that occur every year."

The new Needle Stick Awareness training course is 3 hours in duration and includes the applicable legislation, types of sharps and infections, risk assessments and the handling, storage and correct disposal of sharps. In case of an incident, the course also teaches delegates about treatment and reporting procedures. The individual organisation’s needle stick policy will also be covered in some detail.

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