Sharps safety and waste management

The risk of sharps injury in dentistry demands close attention to develop layers of protection. The selection and use of safety-engineered sharps safety needles and blades requires care, to choose the device providing excellent performance with maximum safety protection. Wherever possible devices should be inherently safe, retracting automatically (‘passive device’) to a safe condition once used. Regrettably, these devices are often higher in price.

Though cost must never come before safety, device selection may be limited by inflexible procurement arrangements. Centralised purchasing may alleviate concerns regarding cost, but many still elect for cheaper ‘active’ safety sharps devices that require manual engagement of a safety device or cover after use. Sharps must never be recapped after use. Manually engaged safety covers on active safety devices must not be activated against the back of a hand, a forearm, a bench worktop, or across the top of a sharps bin.