NEEDLE SAFETY - H.B. 4621 (S-2): FLOOR ANALYSIS

House Bill 4621 (Substitute S-2 as reported)

Sponsor: Representative Dave Woodward

House Committee: Health Policy

Senate Committee: Health Policy


CONTENT


The bill would amend the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Act to:


-- Prohibit certain employers from permitting employees to use a needle that was not a needleless system or was not a needle with "engineered sharps injury protection", except in circumstances in which the technology did not promote employee or patient safety or interfered with a medical procedure.

-- Require employers to establish an evaluation committee to evaluate needleless systems and needles with engineered sharps injury protection.

-- Require employers to establish an effective procedure for identifying and selecting existing needleless systems and needles with engineered sharps injury protection technology.

-- Require employers to record and report certain information about needle exposure incidents.


The bill would apply to employers with 15 or more employees with occupational exposure to human blood and other material potentially infectious to humans through needle punctures.


"Engineered sharps injury protection" would mean a physical attribute built into or used with a needle that effectively reduced the risk of an accidental needle stick, or other needle exposure incident, by a mechanism such as barrier creation, blunting, encapsulation, withdrawal retraction, destruction, or other effective mechanism.


The bill would take effect two years after the date of its enactment. The bill is tie-barred to House Bill 4780, which would amend the Act to require the Department of Consumer and Industry Services (DCIS) and the Department of Community Health to conduct a study on needle safety in the health care workplace, and require the DCIS to provide needle safety training opportunities to employers.


Proposed MCL 408.1024a - Legislative Analyst: G. Towne


FISCAL IMPACT


The bill would have no fiscal impact on State or local government.


Date Completed: 9-21-00 - Fiscal Analyst: D. Patterson

- M. TyszkiewiczFloor\hb4621 - Bill Analysis @ http://www.state.mi.us/sfa

This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.