Safety Moment

Handling Sharps and broken glasses

SNEHA BASAK
Advisor-Dr. Peter Tonge
A sharp is any object that can be reasonably anticipated to penetrate the skin or
other part of the body and result in an infectious exposure incident.

Examples include
Needles
Scalpels
Broken glass
 Tips for using and handling sharps

• To help reduce the risk of sharps injuries, heed the following work
practices:
– Organize your work space so that all materials for the experiment are
ready and available before accessing the sharp device.

• This helps reduce the chance of having to set an exposed needle

down on the lab bench in order to retrieve other necessary
supplies, for example.

– Be prepared to use the device the moment the sharp is exposed (e.g.,
when the needle is uncapped
– Make sure you have adequate lighting to perform the task involving the
sharp.
– Locate your sharps container in your workspace.
• Keep exposed sharps pointed away from yourself and

others.

• Never directly hand an exposed sharp to another person.

• Look around after you complete your work and make sure

that all sharps have been disposed properly

• If you need to cap, use the one-handed scoop method.

 Handling broken glass

 Broken glass must be handled using a dustpan and broom or

forceps/tongs, not picked up by students or laboratory personnel by
hand.

 Broken glass must be disposed of in a broken glass box, unless it is

contaminated and should be disposed of in a biohazard sharps
container if contaminated.

 If contaminated, the broom will need to be disposed or sterilized.

 Disposal

 Sharps container must not be placed in the normal waste stream.

 Do not remove needles from syringes before placing in sharp container.

 Use leak-proof, puncture resistant sharp containers properly labeled by the

supplier.

 Place sharps containers within easy reach of work stations where sharps are
generated.

 Never fill containers more than ¾ full.

 Use a container of proper size and shape that will allow the sharp to freely and
completely enter the container.

 Close and seal the top of containers before placing it for pick up by custodians.
• Broken Glass should be packaged in a sturdy container, that is labeled as
“BROKEN Glass” and should be securely sealed prior to being transported
to a dumpster.

• When assembling the boxes, use packing tape to secure the bottom of the
box, and use a liner bag on the inside.

• Due to the weight of the glass only fill the box ¾ full, and use a cart when
transporting to the dumpster. Do not place liquids in the glass box. When
the box is ¾ full, seal the bag, tape the box.

An example of a proper glass disposal box

http://ehs.unl.edu/
 To avoid injuries from sharp

 Never reach into a sharps disposal container or broken glass

box

 Never remove the lid from the container

 Never force materials into the container

 Never overfill the container

Some sharps containers are pre-marked with
“fill lines”
If no fill line is marked, then fill container no
more than ¾ full
 Steps to be taken for sharp object cuts

 Wash the wound thoroughly under cold water.

 If the wound is shallow and the bleeding stops, dry the skin around

it with a paper towel or a clean cloth.

 If available, put an “infection prevention” cream/spray on the

wound. Cover the wound with a sterile bandage to keep the

wound shielded and clean.

 Seek medical help if necessary

Thank you
&
Questions?