Use of Blunt-Tip Suture Needles to Decrease Percutaneous Injuries to Surgical Personnel: Safety and Health Information Bulletin

This Safety and Health Information Bulletin is not a standard or regulation, and it creates no new legal obligations. The Bulletin is advisory in nature, informational in content, and is intended to assist employers in providing a safe and healthful workplace. The purpose is 1) to describe the hazard of sharp-tip suture needles as a source of percutaneous injuries to surgical personnel; 2) to present evidence of the effectiveness of blunt-tip suture needles in decreasing percutaneous injuries to surgical personnel, particularly when used to suture muscle and fascia; and 3) to emphasize OSHA's requirement and NIOSH's recommendation to use safer medical devices—in this case, blunt-tip suture needles—where clinically appropriate. This publication supersedes 2007-132.