Preventing Needlesticks and Sharps Injuries: Reflecting on the 20th Anniversary of the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act

November marked the 20th anniversary of the passage of the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act (PL 106-430) into law. The act required that OSHA amend its Bloodborne Pathogens Standard to include additional protections for workers to prevent occupational exposures to blood and body fluids. This included: new requirements for the evaluation and use of engineering controls (sharps with engineered sharps injury protections and needleless systems), annual employer considerations of safer medical devices and new technologies that reduce exposures, non-managerial frontline employee feedback on the selection and use of these devices, and the requirement to keep a Sharps Injury Log in