Maintaining a safe work environment is part of a phlebotomy technician’s job. Self-education is one of your most valuable resources—it can help you prevent accidental exposure to bloodborne pathogens and avoid needlestick injuries that could lead to the contraction of illness or disease.
In our self-paced phlebotomy online course, we cover every step of proper workplace safety for phlebotomy technicians in extensive detail.
In this blog post, we will review some of the most vital safety precautions for phlebotomy technicians to avoid injury and infection.
Preventing Needlestick Injuries
Needlestick injuries occur when a phlebotomy technician’s skin is broken by a used needle.
Even a pinprick can put you at risk for severe illness or injury. In order to avoid this risk, phlebotomy technicians should always handle their equipment appropriately and wear protective equipment.
Never perform a phlebotomy procedure without wearing non-sterile disposable gloves. This is the first and most essential step toward protecting yourself against needlesticks.
Additional ways to prevent injury include:
- Follow the Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s Bloodborne Pathogens Standards
- Never remove, recap, or bend a used needle from a phlebotomy device
- Follow the proper handling and disposal procedures for blood tube holders
- Only dispose of needles and holders using appropriate sharp containers that have been FDA-approved
- Prior to a procedure, ensure that you are only using a device with a single-use blood tube holder that has sharps with injury control, known as sharps with engineered sharps injury protection (SESIP)
- Do not handle any phlebotomy devices without gloves
You should always follow your facility’s safety practices for handling and disposing of needles and blood tube holders.
These measures are put in place to protect both you and the general public; failure to properly dispose of a needle could result in a needlestick injury to someone else.
Avoiding Blood Exposure
Phlebotomy technicians should plan ahead for each sampling procedure and select appropriate protective equipment. While a mask and non-sterile gloves are acceptable in most cases, you may need to wear additional personal protective equipment (PPE) in certain cases.
If there is ever a blood spill, make sure that you wear protective equipment and dispose of any affected material in a biohazard container. You should then clean the area with medical-grade disinfectant.
To help avoid spills in the first place, all lab specimens should be transported in sealed, properly labeled containers.
Preventing Injury Through Proper Patient Care
Increasing patients’ confidence before a procedure can reduce anxiety and improve compliance. Brochures and other hand-outs can help improve education prior to sampling in busy clinics; however, the phlebotomy technician should still greet each patient, establish a connection with them, and let them know what they are going to do prior to the procedure.
Encourage patients to breathe during the blood draw, and go at the right pace for each patient. It is vital to assess body language and ask a patient how they are feeling before performing any procedure.
Patients who are calm and relaxed during a procedure are less likely to jerk away, which decreases the phlebotomy technician’s potential exposure to blood or a needlestick injury.
Become a Phlebotomy Technician Online
Our online phlebotomy course is a self-paced, six-week program that covers all of the essential education aspiring technicians need to pass the NAPTP exam.
With study guides, videos, and PDFs, you receive all the materials and support you need to pass the NAPTP on your first try.
