The Employment and Social Affairs Committee today backed an agreement between European social partners to help prevent needle-stick injuries in the hospital sector, one of the most common and serious risks for health workers across the EU.
Needle-stick injuries in hospitals may lead to the transmission of more than 20 life-threatening viruses, including Hepatitis B, C and HIV. In the EU, there are more than one million needle-stick injuries every year, says a resolution drafted by Elisabeth Lynne (ALDE, UK) and adopted with 44 votes in favour, 1 against and no abstentions.
A legislative proposal to protect Europe's healthcare workers from potentially dangerous infections due to injuries with needles and other sharp medical instruments has been requested by the European Parliament for many years, notably in a resolution of 6 July 2006.
"The framework agreement between the Commission and European social partners will represent an important contribution to the protection of health and safety of workers active in the hospital sector", states the resolution, which adds however that "Member States and social partners should be free to adopt additional measures which are more favourable to workers".
