Sharps Handling And Disposal Risk Assessment

Product Overview

This risk assessment covers sharps handling and disposal activities, including associated exposure, injury and contamination hazards. It supports planning the work, identifying hazards and managing risks from setup through to incident response and review.

Activities & Risks Covered

This assessment addresses activities and risks including:

• Plan sharps handling and set up the work area
• Confirm worker competence and authorisation
• Control access around sharps risk areas
• Handle and use sharps
• Retrieve found sharps from contaminated areas
• Dispose of sharps into sharps containers
• Handle contaminated waste and reusable items
• Respond to spills and decontaminate affected areas
• Respond to exposure incidents and provide first aid
• Inspect containers and review work practices

Who is this for?

Suitable for contractors, workers, supervisors and businesses handling, retrieving or disposing of sharps.

Activities & Hazards Covered

Legislation & References

The template records model guidance used to inform the documented controls. Applicable WHS/OHS laws and adopted Codes vary by state or territory, so confirm the current local requirements when tailoring the assessment:

• Model guidance: Model Code of Practice: Biological hazards — Clinical waste management; p. 88.
• Model guidance: Model Code of Practice: Hazardous manual tasks — 4.1 The hierarchy of control measures; p. 31.
• Model guidance: Model Code of Practice: First aid in the workplace — 3. First aid equipment, facilities and training; p. 12.
• Model guidance: Model Code of Practice: Work health and safety consultation, cooperation and coordination — 3. What is effective consultation?; p. 13.
• Model guidance: Model Code of Practice: Managing the work environment and facilities — 1.2 Managing risks associated with the work environment and facilities; p. 12.

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Standard Risk Assessment Features (Click to Expand)

• Activity-specific hazard identification and control measures
• Initial and residual risk ratings
• Assigned responsible persons for each activity
• Risk matrix and assessment classification
• Review, monitoring and sign-off fields
• Site-specific customisation before use