Explainer
Needlesticks and sharps
A used needle is a small object with a long tail of risk: hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV, and the stress of waiting for test results.
In short
Needlesticks and other sharps injuries are a recognized occupational hazard in hospitals, clinics, labs, dental offices, and home care. OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens standard is the federal rule that requires a written exposure-control plan, safer devices, and follow-up after an exposure.
What we will — and will not — quote
Older CDC publications have estimated hundreds of thousands of sharps injuries a year in hospitals. Those estimates are not from the 2024 SOII, and this site will not present an undated figure as if it were current. The latest annual BLS tables summarize recordable injuries and illnesses; they do not, in the summary industry tables used here, isolate a 2024 national needlestick count.
If you are stuck by a sharp, official guidance is to wash, report at once, and get prompt medical evaluation. Do not wait to “see if it is nothing.”
Official prevention and follow-up resources
- OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens standard (29 CFR 1910.1030)
- NIOSH needlestick prevention (and related NIOSH sharps guidance, including Publication 2012-123)
- NIOSH: infectious and bloodborne risks for health-care workers