Five Features to Look for in a Sharps Container: A Guide for Healthcare Providers
Five Features to Look for in a Sharps Container: A Guide for Healthcare Providers
When working within the healthcare industry, sharps containers are an important tool, enabling healthcare professionals to safely dispose of hazardous waste. However, there’s a variety of different sharps bins available on the market at the moment, so it can be hard to know where to start when procuring new containers.
The expert team at Vernacare is here to help you with this dilemma - we’ve created this guide to help you make the right choice for your needs. You can find out more about our innovative Sharpsafe® disposal bins here.
In the meantime, if you'd like to speak to someone about procuring our Sharpsafe® containers, please make an enquiry today.
Sharps Containers: The Low Down
Sharps containers are specially designed bins for sharps instruments, such as needles, lancets, or scalpels. As naturally sharp items, these can lead to needlestick injuries if not disposed of correctly, which can have serious health consequences. The risk of infectious disease is higher when handling clinical waste, making sharps disposal bins incredibly important for all healthcare settings.
At Vernacare, we're experts in the world of infection prevention and sustainable waste disposal, producing our own range of Sharpsafe® containers for our customers. Our Sharpsafe® containers are suitable for a variety of healthcare settings, making them a must-have in the medical industry.
Let's dive deeper into the world of clinical waste and find out more about the nuances surrounding sharps bins.
The Top Five Sharps Container Must-Haves
Sharps bins are a necessary solution for any healthcare facility, but it's vital to choose the right option for your needs.
We've created this blog to help you understand which features are most important when searching for new sharps disposal bins, aiming to help you make the right decision for your healthcare setting.
Here, we've listed our top five sharps container must-haves, each of which is championed within our own Sharpsafe® designs.
1. A Host of Safety Mechanisms
When searching for clinical waste solutions, we strongly recommend using sharps disposal bins with built-in safety mechanisms. Not only will this approach reduce the risk of injury to staff and patients, but it can also stop unauthorised people from gaining access to potentially hazardous waste.
You want to look for the following standard features:
- Puncture resistant materials
- Secure locking systems
- Secure lids
Sharpsafe® containers offer additional safety features such as:
- Protected Access
- Dual Protect Pro™
- In-lid Safety Shields
With each Sharpsafe® bin we manufacture, you'll find a one-click temporary closure lid. Not only does this lid provide extra reassurance when the container is not in use, but it also prevents needlestick injuries from occurring. Once your sharps bin has been filled with sharps waste, a final closure mechanism can be applied, permanently sealing the container to avoid spillages and further injury.
You'll also get a four-click assembly built into each device, which confirms that the lid and base are connected and assembled properly (showing your sharps box is safe to use).
2. An Ergonomic Design
When choosing new sharps disposal bins for your facility, you should prioritise containers that are convenient to handle and easy to use.
Common features you should consider include:
- Carry handles
- Wide openings
- Clear labelling (as defined in your sharps policy)
These aspects contribute to an ergonomic design, increasing the ease of use of healthcare professionals using sharps disposal bins. They also encourage proper waste disposal practices among caregivers, decreasing the likelihood of an injury transpiring.
For example, every Sharpsafe® disposal bin we manufacture comes complete with clear and accurate in-mould labelling in a large and easy-to-read size, ensuring safety for both patients and healthcare professionals. These labels help users to identify the purpose of the container, with safety information clearly laid out for all to see. As well as making the use of sharps bins easier, prominent labelling acts as a cautionary reminder for staff working in the area.
In-mould labels are unique to our Sharpsafe® containers, meaning they are injection moulded into the container base and virtually impossible to remove, eliminating the possibility of bacteria building up around peeling labels, and ensuring a permanent audit trail.
Our cutting-edge Sharpsafe® containers also feature wide openings and entry points, making the process of depositing used sharps much easier and safer. This is another key design element that ensures that sharps can be disposed of quickly and efficiently, minimising the risk of accidental needle injuries occurring when in use.
3. Accurately Colour Coded Lids
As previously stated, clear labelling is an important factor when considering the procurement of new sharps bins. Adequate sharps containers should be labelled with clear and prominent markings, making their instructions and purpose legible to anyone reading them.
The colour-coded system simplifies the process of selecting the appropriate sharps disposal containers for your needs - especially in busy healthcare environments where time and efficiency are crucial. This design scheme means that users can quickly identify the correct bin based on the colour of its lid, streamlining the entire waste disposal procedure and following local legislation. Proper segregation is vital for healthcare settings to meet Net Zero targets.
Colour-coded lids help healthcare professionals to differentiate between different types of waste and hazard levels. Using different colours for each form of clinical waste ensures it is disposed of properly, further reducing the risk of cross-contamination and infection.
Combining our colour-coded lids with clear labelling can help prevent misuse and injury, ensuring that sharps are disposed of correctly within your facility.
“Waste segregation is more important than ever as healthcare facilities strive towards delivering net zero targets. We don’t compromise on the bright colours of our lids, to ensure waste segregation is as simple as possible to follow. We also have a range of posters available to assist with colour coding in healthcare facilities.” - Tom Ditton, Product Development Manager.
4. A Sustainable Background
Selecting bins made from recyclable or environmentally-friendly materials can help to minimise the environmental impact of your facility. For example, our single-use sharps bins are made from up to 100% recycled plastic in their bases, reducing their environmental impact whilst also breaking the chain of infection.
At Vernacare, sustainability is a core part of our business, incorporating responsibility into every aspect of our brand. Our Sharpsafe® bins are designed to maximise capacity, also reducing space requirements. This design principle allows for more efficient transportation and storage of our Sharps bins, reducing the carbon footprint associated with their distribution.
Our Sharpsafe® containers are also manufactured using recycled materials, reducing the overall demand for new resources and minimising the negative impact on the environment. By incorporating recycled materials into our products, we aim to reduce the consumption of energy and resources required during the manufacturing process.
Tom Ditton, Product Development Manager, added, “We are proud to have worked with WRAP Cymru and Astute 2020 to develop our recycled containers. We have championed change in the industry and delivered containers into the market that haven’t compromised quality or safety in the name of sustainability.”
5. Adequate Capacity and Size
Another factor to consider when choosing a new sharps bin is your preferred capacity and size. You should opt for a container size that balances your storage needs with space constraints, ensuring efficient waste disposal practices are met without compromising on safety. A space-efficient design also allows for more efficient transportation of these products, reducing your facility’s carbon footprint.
Sharpsafe® bins typically come in a range of sizes and capacities to accommodate different needs and settings. Regardless of whether you choose a 5 litre Sharpsafe® disposal bin or a larger 13 litre design, our Sharpsafe® bins are designed to hold the maximum amount of sharps waste, whilst still retaining the required amount of safe space.
Every Sharpsafe® product we manufacture comes colour-coded with a semi-translucent lid and visible fill line, allowing healthcare professionals to see a clear indication when the fill line is reached.
Bonus Feature: Regulatory Compliance
When purchasing a new needle bin for sharps collection, you should ensure that your chosen bin meets the regulatory standards and guidelines for clinical waste management within the UK. Compliance with these standards is crucial for ensuring safety across the healthcare sphere.
All healthcare facilities should have a list of the regulatory requirements they have to align with, but you can find more information by consulting the ISO (the International Organization for Standardization). For example, ISO 23907-1:2019 sets out the relevant guidelines and requirements for sharps injury protection.
Another regulatory standard to be aware of is the UN3291, set out by the UN (United Nations). The UN3291 is a mandatory requirement and legislates the disposal and land transportation of hazardous waste. For example, under the UN3291, all sharps bins must be leak-proof and display information about the UN3291 directive, as well as appropriate hazardous waste symbols.
Our Sharpsafe® bins are designed and manufactured to regulatory compliance requirements and industry standards related to modern sharps waste disposal. Proper labelling and colour-coded lids help healthcare facilities to comply with regulatory requirements, including government agencies and industry standards.
By adhering to established guidelines and regulations with the medical industry, Vernacare aims to promote safety, minimise environmental impact and protect public health from infection and contamination.
Shop Our Selection of Sharps Containers Today
When selecting new sharps containers for a healthcare setting, it's crucial to prioritise features that ensure safety, efficiency and regulatory compliance.
Here are the key takeaways to remember:
- Durability and puncture resistance - Sharps containers made from sturdy, puncture resistant materials should always be chosen, as these products help to prevent accidental needlestick injuries and manage clinical waste leakage.
- Secure locks and closure mechanisms - Opting for a container with an easy to use temporary closure feature ensures contents are safely contained when the container is not in use.
- Visible fill level indicators - Always search for sharps containers with clearly identifiable fill lines, enabling healthcare professionals to monitor the fill level with ease.
- Regulatory compliance - All items used within a healthcare setting should meet sharps disposal regulatory requirements, including colour coding, proper labelling and adherence to design standards within the industry.
Our Sharpsafe® designs go above and beyond the requirements laid out above, containing a range of high-quality sharps boxes of differing sizes, ensuring you’ll be able to find something suitable for your needs.
If you’d like to speak to a member of our team about our Sharpsafe® containers, please contact us here.
