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NEEDL E SAFETY
SUMMER 2013 ISSUE
LIVESTOCK MATTERS
22
Needle safety
- some
dos
and
don'ts
from the VMD
It is therefore important for all people who inject animals with
medicines to observe the following tips on needle safety:
Do
make sure the animal is safely restrained
Do
consider using automatic re-sheathing
safety devices
Don’t
use your teeth
to remove the needle shields
Don’t
whereever possible re-sheath
needles. Instead immediately put the unsheathed
needle into the portable sharps bin
Do
take, and use, portable sharps bins (to
avoid the need to re-sheath needles)
Do
replace sharps bins promptly; the
maximum fill-line should never be exceeded
Do
use sharps bins which have needle
remover notches, to avoid manual removal
of needles
For further information on needle safety including
what you should do if you suffer a needlestick
injury, there is useful advice on the Health and
Safety Executive's website:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/healthservices/
needlesticks/resources.htm
Finally, the VMD stresses that is important it is
made aware of any injuries or illness sustained by
farmers when handling veterinary medicines, as
part of its Suspected Adverse Reaction Scheme,
not least so it can understand the scale of this as
an issue affecting those who inject animals with
medicines on a regular basis. You can report
suspected adverse reactions on-line at:
www.vmd.defra.gov.uk/adversereaction
reporting/
Photo Courtesy of Sterimatic