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DocuSign Envelope ID:79C5D167-B6CA-4E59-B4AC-AA38CC1 B20BD <br /> Orange County Emergency Services ' <br /> Exposure Control Policy <br /> 17 32 <br /> Standard Operating Procedures <br /> EC 10: Engineered Sharps & Needle-less Systems: <br /> • Sharps with Engineered Sharps Injury Protections: <br /> o Non-needle sharps or needle devices containing built-in safety features <br /> that are used for collecting fluids or administering medications or other <br /> fluids, or other procedures involving the risk of sharps injury will be used <br /> where feasible. During our annual review, these devices will be discussed, <br /> reviewed as to their effectiveness with our procedures, and used where <br /> feasible. This covers a broad array of devices, including: <br /> ■ Syringes with a sliding sheath that shields the attached needle after <br /> use; <br /> ■ Needles that retract into a syringe after use; <br /> ■ Shielded or retracting catheters <br /> ■ Intravenous medication (IV) delivery systems that use a catheter <br /> port with a needle housed in a protective covering. <br /> (Safety equipment must be available at all times. If for some reason an engineering <br /> control is not available due to supply shortages, back orders, shipping delays, etc.), this <br /> must be documented in your Exposure Control Plan. You would then be responsible to <br /> implement the chosen control(s) as soon as it becomes available and adjust your <br /> exposure control plan to illustrate such. In the meantime, work practice controls must be <br /> used and, if occupational exposure still remains, personal protective equipment must <br /> also be used.) <br /> • Needleless Systems <br /> o Needleless Systems is defined as devices, which provide an alternative to <br /> needles for various procedures to reduce the risk of injury involving <br /> contaminated sharps. During our annual review, these devices will be <br /> discussed, reviewed as to their effectiveness with our procedures, and <br /> used where feasible. Types of needle-less systems include: <br /> ■ IV medication systems which administer medication or fluids <br /> through a catheter port using non-needle connections; and <br /> ■ Jet injection systems, which deliver liquid medication beneath the <br /> skin or through a muscle. <br /> (A key element in choosing a safer medical device, other than its appropriateness to the <br /> procedure and effectiveness, is its availability on the market. If there is no safer option <br /> for a particular medical device used where there is exposure to blood or OPIM, you are <br /> not required to use something other than the device that is normally used. ) <br /> Revised February, 2013 <br />