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Summary: MOVING THE SHARPS SAFETY AGENDA
FORWARD IN THE UNITED STATES:
CONSENSUS STATEMENT AND CALL TO ACTION
Note: This Consensus Statement and Call to Action was drafted by members of the steering committee* for
the conference "Tenth Anniversary of the Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act: Mapping Progress,
Charting a Future Path," held in Charlottesville, Virginia, from November 4-6, 2010, and sponsored by the
International Healthcare Worker Safety Center at the University of Virginia. The conference was funded in
part by a grant from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (1R13OH009924-01). These recommendations are based on the presentations, panels, and
informal discussions that took place at the conference. The speakers and participants represented a broad
range of stakeholders relevant to the issue of sharps safety, including clinicians, researchers, and healthcare
administrators, as well as representatives from government agencies (in particular NIOSH/CDC and
OSHA), professional associations, and the medical device industry. The conference also had global
participation, with speakers from Asia, Europe and Africa, in addition to both North and South
America. We are grateful for the contributions of all. [*See Appendix for list of steering committee
members.]
INTRODUCTION
Over the past two decades, the United States (U.S.) has been a global leader in
addressing risks to healthcare workers from occupational exposures to bloodborne
pathogens, including hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human
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