Disposal of Needles
jitrbug
307 Posts
We have had a problem the last several weeks with someone throwing away needles/syringes in the bathroom garbage cans. They are not put into any container, just thrown into the garbage. The night cleaning service has found them and justly raised concern for the safety of their people. I checked the CDC and they suggested that proper disposal (if sharps containers are not available) is to put these items into a solid container like a milk carton or soda bottle/can and sealed or closed to insure the items don't come out. We put signs up in every restroom with this information but someone keeps taking them down. Not sure if the person is taking insulin shots or what. Have no idea who it is. We are not a med facility so putting up sharps containers I don't think is required. Anyone else have any experience with this type of thing and what have you done?
Comments
The problem promptly ended.
You have stated that you've narrowed down the restrooms where these items seem to be popping up, so monitor those. If you need a drug-free workplace policy that includes random or for-cause testing - get one. If you need a biohazard/sharps policy for employees who have a genuine need for injections on the job, get one and stick to it. Inform all of your employees of the policy and the consequences of ignoring it.
Regardless of the cost or effort, I'm sure both would be less than if you have an employee get stuck by one of these syringes and come down with aids or hepatitis. You would probably be in the cross hairs for a huge lawsuit, especially if you knew about the danger in the first place.