Since 2001, hospitals have been required to report sharps injuries among workers to the Department of Public Health each year. This data helps develop measures to prevent these injuries.
This page includes annual reports about sharps injuries among Massachusetts hospital workers and special topic reports on sharps injuries among trainees and in operating rooms, as well as peer-reviewed articles.
Annual reports from 2002-present are available. To request a report, email sharps.injury@state.ma.us.
For health care providers: Here is information on how to report sharps injuries.
Key terms
Sharps device: Any object that can penetrate the skin or mucous membranes and expose someone to blood or other potentially infectious body fluids. Sharps devices include needles, scalpels, broken glass, broken capillary tubes, and exposed ends of dental wires.
Sharps injury: An injury that pierces the skin or mucous membranes involving a sharps device that was or may have been used on another person. An injury with a clean sharps device (before use) through contaminated gloves or other contaminated medium also counts as a reportable sharps injury.
Population covered in these reports: All health care workers in hospitals licensed by DPH, including acute and non-acute care hospitals and their satellite units (e.g., community health centers, ambulatory care centers). "Health care workers" include hospital staff, employees of other agencies working in the hospital, uncompensated staff (such as students), and anyone providing care in the facility regardless of the source of their compensation..