Needle Stick Injury Claims: How to Proceed?
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The skin is accidentally punctured by hypodermic needles or other sharp medical instruments, resulting in needle stick injuries. Although there is a chance that dangerous medications could also travel through a needle stick wound, infectious fluid transmission is the main cause for concern. Needle stick injuries can be compensated through needle stick injury lawsuits.
After HIV was discovered in the early 1980s, needle stick injuries in medicine became a hot topic. According to the CDC, hospital-based healthcare workers report about 385,000 needle sticks and other sharps-related injuries each year. One in 10,000 workers who do not work in healthcare are susceptible to needle stick injuries each year.
Injuries from needle sticks can happen before, during, or after disposal as well as during and after use. However, because to improvements in safer technology, injuries from steel needles with wings and disposable syringes have increased.
For healthcare professionals who regularly use needles in their work, the danger of needle stick injuries is still a worry. Surgeons, nurses, emergency department staff, veterinary employees, and laboratory specialists are among the health professionals most at risk for needle stick wounds. Waste management and other non-healthcare industries are among those that are at risk.
When used needles were resheathed by medical practitioners after use, needle stick injuries were fairly common in the past. The risks of needle stick injuries are especially prevalent in the healthcare industry because used needles and equipment may have been contaminated with bodily fluids from infected patients. The body fluids from the devices during a needle stick injury may be transmitted to the medical staff through the punctures. Depending on the body fluid, the age, and the health of the injured person, the risk of transmission may or may not be considerable.
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), accurate records of needle stick injuries must be kept in every workplace. To get a clear picture of the injuries, the report should be given to the victim’s treating doctor. In order to address the rising number of needle stick and sharp injury occurrences in the US, the Needle stick Safety and Prevention Act was updated in 2000. According to the law, a company is required to give their employees a safe workplace and sufficient employee training.
It is significant to highlight that, under US law, a victim of a needle stick injury may file a worker’s compensation claim. The sufferer should speak with a workers’ compensation attorney with experience treating needle stick injuries after getting medical attention. The victim’s claim process can be aided by the employer’s injury report.
