NHS staff are one of the groups most at risk of receiving needlestick injuries. These injuries occur when someone suffers a prick from a needle or some other sharp object. They can occur anywhere on the body, though usually on the finger or hand. Whilst they generally cause little or no damage at the time -  just the piercing of the skin, a little blood and perhaps some tenderness around the general area - it is used, dirty needles which are the greatest concern and which give the potential for the transmission of diseases such as hepatitis or HIV.

Virtually all such injuries happen by accident, through needles not being thrown away properly. It is for this reason that cleaners, especially in hospitals, are at greater risk than most from needlestick injuries. It is also for this reason that cleaners, in medical settings or elsewhere, should exercise caution when working. However some needlestick injuries are caused deliberately by people wishing harm to others. In these cases medical assistance should be sought and the police informed. You may also be entitled to compensation through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA). CICA payouts are made to victims of crime who have suffered injuries, both physical and psychological.

All needles and other sharp objects should be disposed of into special sharps bins; if they are not then any pain or injury suffered would have been completely avoidable, making a compensation claim seemingly quite strong. Like all workers, should a cleaner decide to sue for needlestick injuries, they would have to demonstrate that the harm caused was due to negligence from a third party.

With these types of injuries the main harm caused is not from the physical injury but the mental harm caused by the fear of having contracted a potentially fatal disease such hepatitis or HIV. In some cases it can take up to six months before the possibility of having contracted HIV as a result of a needlestick injury, can be ruled out altogether, therefore considerable stress can be caused to the victim.

Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is a preventative medical treatment often given to those who have suffered a needlestick injury, to prevent infection and the development of a disease such as hepatitis or HIV. It is recommended that such treatment be started almost as soon as the injury occurs and generally continues for a month. PEP also results in side effects for some victims including headaches, nausea and diarrhoea.

Compensation for needlestick injuries is calculated according to a number of different factors, with the distress caused by the long wait to find out whether or not you have contracted a disease such as hepatitis or HIV included. Other factors include the pain and suffering caused by the PEP treatment, the cost of any other medical treatment needed and the potential loss of earnings.

Prevention

As cleaners are one of the groups of people most at risk of getting these types of injuries, they should be aware of measures they can take to reduce the risk of them occurring.

• They should always wear protective gloves when handling needles, especially those which have been exposed to blood or other bodily fluids.
• They should ensure that their vaccinations are up to date against certain diseases such as hepatitis.
• They should also ensure that all staff around them are aware that needles and other sharp objects are disposed of safely in sharps bins, specially adapted bins for these sorts of materials.
• They should learn the correct way to throw away needles and other sharp objects.

On a wider point, vaccines can help prevent the spread of infections such as HIV or hepatitis and, as a society, we should be educating our youngsters about the dangers of needles and syringes, especially used ones.

Those in a position of responsibility, on learning that a cleaner has suffered a needlestick injury, should find out certain information as a next step. They should know the cleaner’s personal details, his or her name, address, GP etc. They should also find out what time the incident occurred, the nature of the injury, whether any first aid was given, whether the cleaner had been immunised against certain infections and what information there was about the needle, namely whether it was new or used and whether it was blood-stained. All this information and more will be needed to determine what action should be taken to minimise the threat of infection to the worker concerned.