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The local
government sector is a significant employer and contractor of
workers whose activities may involve exposure to community sharps.
While local councils may have little or no control over the
behaviour of groups or individuals in public places, they should
still take all reasonable precautions to minimise risks to employees
and members of the public arising from such behaviour.
As is the
case for all employers, compliance with the provisions of the OHS
Regulation by local councils presupposes that the risk of
needlestick injury in the workplace has been identified, assessed,
and either eliminated, or the risk of harm controlled to the lowest
possible level.
This may be
achieved by providing community sharps disposal facilities, through
development of council policies that avoid exposing employees to
situations of risk, and by providing employees with expertise,
training and equipment to safely deal with risks that might
reasonably occur in the execution of their normal duties.
For this reason, local councils should ensure that employees
and contractors who may be exposed to community sharps in the
workplace receive training in sharps awareness and sharps handling.
Where appropriate, they should be provided with sharps containers
conforming to AS 4031‑1992. Higher risk activities include
waste services,
cleansing, drainage, parks/gardens and lifeguard
services.
Community sharps that are
collected in community sharps disposal facilities, or as a result of
the workplace activities of local council employees should be
managed as sharps waste. This includes disposal only to treatment
premises that hold an environment protection licence permitting the
receipt of sharps waste.
By
selecting appropriate means to manage workplace risks, and
exercising due diligence in the implementation of control measures,
local councils can demonstrate compliance with their OHS
obligations.
The WorkCover NSW publication Due
Diligence at Work provides information and checklists on the key
elements of due diligence for employers, including the
responsibilities of employers for the health or safety of
contractor’s employees. It is available from the WorkCover
Publications Hotline on 1300 799 003, or visit the
WorkCover NSW website at http://www.workcover.nsw.gov.au/
.
The NSW Workplace Safety Summit held in July
2002 was convened to help achieve the goal that every employee in
NSW should feel safe and be safe at work. Five areas form the
framework for strategies to achieve safer workplaces:
·
understanding hazards
and risks
·
strengthening workplace
safety/accountability
·
promoting new
solutions
·
making our communities
safer
·
designing safer
workplaces.
Each of these
focus areas has direct application to the achievement of safer
workplaces and communities through improved management of community
sharps.
CLICK
HERE TO DOWNLOAD A FULL COPY OF "THE COMMUNITY SHARPS
MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES FOR NSW
COUNCILS" | 
