The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) and the Environmental Research and Education Foundation (EREF) are conducting a joint research project to quantify and address the issue of needlestick injuries at Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) in the United States and Canada.
Needlestick injuries are a serious risk to waste industry workers, especially in MRFs where sorting recyclables on picking lines and similar activities can put employees in contact with sharps and, as a result, blood borne pathogens.
The objectives of the survey are to inventory observances of needles and syringes in MRF waste streams in the U.S. and Canada and document the extent of needle-related incidences (both those that resulted in no injuries and those that did).
The OWMA would encourage members to participate to assist in better understanding the scope of the needlestick problem at MRFs in order to develop appropriate mitigation strategies, which may include regulatory proposals.
Results will be aggregated in a form that keeps the identity of individual facilities private. To take the survey, interested parties can access the project webpage here.