A sharps injury prevention program is the organizational process for finding and reducing injuries from needles and other sharp medical devices. Buying a product with a safety feature is one part of that process. The program also needs to show whether staff can use it reliably in the actual procedure.
CDC's program framework combines a multidisciplinary team, baseline assessment, priorities, action planning and continuing evaluation. Reporting, data analysis and device selection are connected activities.
Begin with the work, not a product catalog
Map where and how sharps are used. Include activities outside obvious procedure areas: specimen handling, cleanup and disposal. Ask which staff encounter the device after its original user finishes.
A useful baseline separates procedure type, device, work area and point in the task when an injury occurred. Protect confidential information while giving the review team enough detail to distinguish problems that need different remedies.
For example, injuries during safety-feature activation raise a different question from injuries involving an overfilled disposal container. Combining both into “needle injuries” can conceal the change needed.
Involve the people who use the equipment
For covered workplaces, the federal Bloodborne Pathogens Standard requires documented input from exposed nonmanagerial direct-care employees when identifying and selecting relevant controls. It also requires consideration of appropriate safer devices during the plan review.
Use a structured evaluation rather than collecting only general preferences:
| Evaluation question | What to record |
|---|---|
| Does the device support the intended procedure? | The specific task and any limitation identified during evaluation |
| Can the safety feature be used as intended? | Training needs and observed activation difficulties |
| What happens immediately after use? | Handling and disposal steps |
| Does the arrangement work on every shift? | Access to supplies, instruction and replacement equipment |
Clinical and safety leaders should decide how to conduct an appropriate evaluation; a nurse should not improvise a patient-care trial of an unfamiliar device.
Check disposal as part of the system
Federal requirements address container placement, accessibility and prevention of overfilling. Walk through the actual route from use to disposal. Report obstructions or unavailable containers through the local safety process.
Equipment alone cannot answer who checks container levels or resolves recurring supply shortages. Give those tasks an owner and review whether the arrangement works during busy periods.
Evaluate changes without overselling the numbers
Compare similar procedures and settings over time. If a team calculates a rate, name its denominator—for example, the number of relevant devices used—and keep the method consistent.
An increase in reports may reflect more incidents, better reporting or both. Review reporting access and changes in workload alongside the counts before claiming success or failure.
Share the resulting action with staff: what changed, why it changed and how to report remaining problems. Link the program to the exposure control plan and the separate route for urgent exposure reporting.
Sources
- CDC: Sharps injury prevention program workbook and framework (accessed 2026-09-17).
- 29 CFR 1910.1030: Bloodborne pathogens (accessed 2026-09-17).