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Sharps Awareness Online Course

• Duration: Approx. 1 hour
• Approved by CPD

Single Licence

Individuals looking to take the Sharps Awareness online course can purchase a single user license for £15.00 + vat. This license grants unlimited access to the course, with no time restrictions, for one user only.

Please click the link below to complete the booking form and payment online.

Once we have received this we will set-up your access to the course within 24-48 hours, and e-mail you your log-in details to the address provided on the booking form.

Buy Single Licence

Multiple Licences for Businesses

If you are a business or organisation and have a number of employees that you would like to take the Sharps Awareness online course, we offer discounts for multiple purchases, with a greater discount amount available the more courses that are purchased.

Purchasing a business license will grant the buyer administration access from where they can issue log-in usernames and passwords to their employees. This allows businesses to take advantage of the greater discounts on offer even if they do not currently know the names of every individual who will be taking the online course, which is particularly useful if you plan to grant access to employees over a period of time rather than all at once (e.g. getting new starters to complete the course). It also negates the need to fill in a massively long booking form with all their names when purchasing!

The pricing and discount structure available for mutiple purchases of this course is currently:

• 2-9 Licenses: £14.50 + vat each
• 10-49 Licenses: £14.00 + vat each
• 50-99 Licenses: £13.50 + vat each
• 100+ Licenses: £13.00 + vat each

Buy Multiple Licenses

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Unlimited Usage Subscription

Take the hassle out of sourcing individual training courses by giving your employees unlimited access to all 85 online video courses (click here to view all titles) with an annual subscription.

• The convenience of training anywhere with an internet connection
• Keep knowledge up to date and learn new skills
• You allocate users, giving you full control and flexibility
• Ability to monitor each individual’s progress and check course completion
• Make a one-off payment or pay by monthly instalments

Aside from the annual subscription, the only additional cost is a £250 + vat setup fee. However, for a limited time only, setup is currently free.

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Sharps Articles

Sharps Risks - Broken Skin

Unbroken skin is an effective barrier against many forms of hazardous substances that are unable to penetrate through the various layers in order to reach the bloodstream. However, if the skin is broken, it is much easier for foreign chemicals or biological agents to enter the body and the bloodstream. Once there, they can multiply and/or destroy the body's existing cells and cause illness or in severe cases, death.

Sharp objects can penetrate and tear the skin to create an opening from which airborne agents can enter. Also, the sharp object itself may transfer a virus as it penetrates the skin. One example of this is a discarded needle which may introduce viruses such as hepatitis or HIV into the bloodstream.

Viruses and biological agents are not the only reasons for avoiding sharp objects. If the cut is severe, it can lead to excessive blood loss or permanent scarring, not to mention being extremely painful in the short term!

In order to avoid the ill-effects caused by sharp objects, it is vital that those workers who have the potential to encounter sharps risks which could pose a hazard to their health have suitable sharps training which gives them the knowledge of the risks, the correct use of personal protective equipment etc. Through a combination of common sense, protective equipment and the knowledge gained through relevant health and safety training will enable them to work more safely and help them avoid sharps injuries and the related consequences that come with an injury by a sharp object.

Sharps Health and Safety Risks on a Construction Site

One aspect of health and safety on a construction site which needs to be considered is that of sharp objects. A construction site can contain sharp items in a multitude of locations, and workers should receive suitable sharps training health and safety courses in order to become more aware of the dangers that sharp objects can present, and how to avoid injury from them.

As stated above, sharps risks can come from a variety of sources. One is the tools themselves, with machinery such as cutting tools needing a sharp blade in order to cut through hard material like bricks or metal, or hand-held implements like trimming knives. These items will easily cut through soft flesh, so care must be taken when using or moving around with these items. Cutting equipment should only be operated by a person who has received sufficient training in its correct operation, with appropriate health and safety measures put in place to avoid injury to others working nearby.

Site workers may also suffer cuts or lacerations from items such as protruding nails, staples in packaging material or from newly-cut material which has an edge awaiting grinding or sanding down. Workers need to be vigilant at all times against small sharp items which could be anywhere and will be difficult to spot before it is too late.

Those on site also need to consider the risk of discarded needles from trespassers who may either have been on site before building work commenced, or may have got into the site overnight. Just because the area was clear yesterday does not necessarily mean it will be today, so workers need to take care at all times.

When handling material which has the potential to contain something that can be sharp, issuing protective equipment such as gloves can help prevent injury. The circumstances will vary depending upon the situation, but it may be necessary to perform a sharps risk assessment before allowing a worker(s) to proceed with the task.

Clinical Waste - Sharps and Other Health Risks

Clinical waste can pose a serious risk to the health and safety of both workers and members of the general public who may inadvertently come into contact with it if it is not disposed of in a correct and safe manner.

Numerous industries and professions create and handle clinical and biohazardous waste, and as such have a requirement to ensure its proper storage and disposal. These include medical facilities such as hospitals and doctors surgeries, dentists, veterinary surgeries and mobile blood donation facilities to name but a few.

The two main dangers and hazards associated with such facilities include sharps risks from syringes and other sharp implements such as scalpels, along with infection from contact with fluids on items like used bandages or organic tissue.

In fact, sharp objects can pose a danger not only from cuts and lacerations caused by the sharp item itself, but can also spread infection if blood or tissue is present on it. It is for this reason that sharps training is so important for any worker who has the possibility of coming into contact with, or who works with, sharp objects. This is not solely limited to those working in the medical profession, but also includes those in many other roles such as customs officials who have to search people and bags and may come into contact with a sharp object such as a syringe or knife (see below).

A third danger along with sharps and infection risks comes from discarded drugs and medicine. All medication has a use-by date on the packaging, after which it is highly inadvisable to take it, particularly as its effectiveness is likely to be severely reduced. Medical facilities will often keep stocks of drugs and medicine on the premises to dispense to patients. If any of this reaches its use-by date and is still on the shelf it will need to be disposed of properly; often destroyed so that it does not fall into the hands of others who may be tempted to take it as a recreational drug or try and sell it on to others for money, as this will put these people's health and possibly even their lives at risk.

Sharps Training for Customs Officials

For all the different occupations that require sharps training, perhaps the most obvious which springs to mind is customs officials at ports and airports who regularly search the bags of passengers. Each time a bag is checked or a person is searched, there is a risk of encountering a sharp object which could cause injury or illness. For this reason, a sharps training course is an essential component of that worker's health and safety training.

Sharps risks can come from normal everyday objects such as scissors, as well as knives and needles intended for illegal drug use. Sharp items which are prohibited or intended to be used for illegal purposes are likely to be concealed or not declared to the person doing the searching. This means the risk of injury is greater if the searcher has not had the appropriate sharps training and dives straight into the search without caution. The first thing they may know about the sharp object is when they are cut, which is precisely the outcome they need to avoid.

Not only is there a danger of cuts and lacerations from sharp objects, there is also the more serious risk of contracting illnesses which are acquired through infected blood. Whilst cuts will usually heal without any permanent damage, contracting an illness is much more serious with long-lasting effects, making sharps training a must for anyone who has the potential to come into contact with sharp implements in their work activities.