ILO Home
Go to the home page
Site map | Contact us Français | Español

CISDOC database

Document ID (ISN)105223
CIS number 06-599
ISSN - Serial title 1080-3548 - International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics
Year 2005
Convention or series no.
Author(s) Smith D.R., Leggat P.A., Takahashi K.
Title Percutaneous exposure incidents among Australian hospital staff
Bibliographic information 2005, Vol.11, No.3, p.323-330. Illus. 20 ref.
Abstract This study investigated all reported percutaneous exposure incidents (PEI) among staff from a large Australian hospital from 2001 to 2003. There were a total of 373 PEI, of which 38.9% were needlestick injuries, 32.7% were cutaneous exposures and 28.4% sharps-related injuries. Nurses were the most commonly affected staff members, (63.5% of the total), followed by doctors (18.8%) and other staff (17.7%). Needlestick injuries were responsible for the majority of nurses' PEI (44.7%) and sharps injuries for those of doctors (44.3%). Overall, the investigation suggests that PEI is a considerable burden for health care workers in Australia.
Descriptors (primary) Australia; needle-stick injuries; biological hazards; health care personnel; hospitals
Descriptors (secondary) infectious hepatitis; survey; safe working methods; nursing personnel; wounds
Document type D - Periodical articles
Country / State or ProvinceAustralia; Japan
Subject(s) Commerce, services, offices
Broad subject area(s) Biological hazards
Industries and occupations
Browse category(ies) Viral diseases (other than aids)
Health care services
Biological hazards
Bacterial and parasitic diseases