Sharpsafes

Correct Assembly, Use and Closure of Sharpsafe Containers

(updated 13/06/16)

Sharpsafe containers are vital piece of kit in SLS laboratories, safely containing our discarded sharps and reducing the risks to lab workers, CTS staff, Safety Services and everyone else who has to deal with our lab waste.

In order for them to be fully effective we have to assemble, use and seal the Sharpsafe containers correctly.

The manufacturer's instructions are shown below. Note that there is a permanent and a temporary closure mechanism. The lab worker should engage the permanent closure prior to depositing the Sharpsafe in the designated waste collection area unless the sharpsafe contains biological material that warrants Level 3 Containment. In this instance the lab worker should engage the temporary closure prior to autoclaving. The temporary closure allows steam to get in and out of the container ensuring thorough inactivation of any biological material and preventing the Sharpsafe from collapsing during autoclaving. If the Sharpsafe does collapse during autoclaving there is a possibility of sharps penetrating the plastic casing as shown in the picture on the right. This is a major hazard for staff emptying the autoclaves and lab staff are asked to follow the guidelines given here to reduce the likelihood of this happening. The CL3 facility technician will engage the permanent closure after autoclaving.

Please avoid overfilling sharpsafes. No one should have to crush down or remove sharps from a Sharpsafe in order to close it.

All sharpsafes are ultimately transferred to the Clinical Waste Freezer in the basement, prior to Safety Services arranging uplift by a specialist contractor.