Manitoba passes new legislation to mandate the use of safe needles

On June 9, 2005 the Manitoba government's Bill 23, The Workplace Safety and Health Amendment Act (Needles in Medical Workplaces) received third reading and Royal Assent.  The new legislation will establish much needed occupational health and safety legislation mandating the use of Safety-Engineered Medical Devices.

The Bill requires all medical workplaces to protect workers by ensuring that safety-engineered needles - such as shielded needle devices or retractable needle systems — are used whenever possible.  In addition, they must implement safe work procedures and practices relating to the use of needles.  Medical workplaces include:

1. a hospital, a personal care home, a psychiatric facility, a medical clinic, a medical laboratory, a community health centre and CancerCare Manitoba;
2. a physician's office;
3. if prescribed by regulation, a registered dentist's office;
4. an ambulance as defined in The Ambulance Services Act; and
5. any other workplace where physical or mental health treatment or care is provided to a person.

The new provisions will come into force January 1, 2006.

Our customers in Manitoba will have many challenges to address with this new legislation including the need for effective, user-based product selection programs, the necessary education and training for effective use of all new devices and the logistics around switching over to new products.  Our BD team in Manitoba is committed to working with our customers to help them with these new challenges ensuring a safer work environment for healthcare workers within the province.

For more information on Bill 23, contact us directly or visit the following website: www.gov.mb.ca