2023 Rhode Island General Laws
Title 23 - Health and Safety
Chapter 23-1.11 - Needlestick Safety and Injury Prevention Act
Section 23-1.11-1. - Definitions.

§ 23-1.11-1. Definitions.

As used in this chapter, the term:

(1) “Employer” means those individuals or corporations with employees who have the potential to be exposed to blood-borne pathogens through a needlestick or other contaminated sharps;

(2) “Engineering controls” means controls including sharps disposal containers, self-sheathing needles, safer medical devices such as sharps with engineered sharps injury protections and needleless systems that isolate or remove the blood-borne pathogen hazard from the workplace;

(3) “Exposure control plan” is a document, which shall be produced and reviewed and updated at least annually and whenever necessary to reflect new or modified tasks, and procedures, which affect occupational exposure and reflect employee positions concerning occupational exposure;

(4) “Needleless system” means a device that does not use needles for: (i) the collection of bodily fluids or withdrawal of body fluids after initial venous or arterial access is established; (ii) the administration of medication or fluids; or (iii) any other procedure involving the potential for occupational exposure to blood-borne pathogens due to percutaneous injuries from contaminated sharps;

(5) “Sharps with engineered sharps injury protections” means a non-needle sharps or a needle device used for withdrawing body fluids, accessing a vein or artery, or administering medications or other fluids with a built-in safety feature or mechanism that effectively reduces the risk of an exposure incident.

History of Section.
P.L. 2001, ch. 372, § 1; P.L. 2001, ch. 382, § 1.