Europe - Policy and Legislation

to protect healthcare workers from occupational exposures to bloodborne pathogens 

Regional summary:

The European Parliament adopted a resolution in 2006 on "Protecting European healthcare workers from blood borne infections due to needle stick injuries." The U.K. Health and Safety Executive website provides further background:

On 24 February 2005, the European Parliament (EP) adopted a resolution on promoting health and safety in the workplace.  Amongst other points, this resolution called on the European Commission to ensure that Member States implemented specific preventive measures necessary to protect healthcare workers from injuries caused by needles and other medical sharps in view of the risk of infection from serious blood-borne infections, such as Hepatitis B and C and HIV. [...] In the wake of this resolution, 6 July 2006 the European Parliament adopted a resolution on protecting European healthcare workers from blood-borne infections due to needlestick injuries. The resolution requested the Commission to submit to the EP a legislative proposal for a directive amending Directive 2000/54/EC on biological agents at work.

A period of consultation with relevant bodies from member EU states regarding the desirability of legislation mandating use of safety-engineered sharps followed the adoption of the resolution; the second-stage consultation period ended in February 2008. An EU commission is currently deciding on the next steps in this process.

Germany's TRBA 250 is a "technical rule" that specifically mandates use of safety-engineered devices in high-risk clinical situations, as defined within the rule. Although it is a standard promulgated by a federal agency rather than a law passed by the government legislature, the rule does appear to be speeding up the adoption safety devices in Germany. 

If you are aware of pertinent policies or guidelines related to healthcare worker safety or occupational exposure prevention in countries in this region that are not included below, please send information here.

- Policy and legislation, by region/country: