Burgess Owens: “Mr. Speaker, it is not exaggerating to say this is legislation that will save lives. I rise in support of H.R. 5178.…”

“Mr. Speaker, it is not exaggerating to say this is legislation that will save lives. I rise in support of H.R. 5178. This legislation will significantly improve the health and safety of health care workers by reducing accidental needlesticks and other sharps injuries. It is estimated that there are between 600,000 and 800,000 incidences of accidental needlestick injuries among health care workers every year. As a direct result, more than 1,000 of these workers will contract a serious potentially life-threatening disease such as HIV or hepatitis C. Studies have shown that as many as 80 percent of these accidental needlesticks can be avoided through the use of available safer medical devices. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, OSHA, has already taken action to reduce accidental needlestick injuries. In November 1999, OSHA issued a revised compliance directive on enforcement procedures for occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens. The principal purpose of the new directive is to emphasize the requirement that health care employers identify, evaluate, and make use of effective, safer medical devices.”