Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2001

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and Housing, to which was referred S.B. No. 61, S.D. 1, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to prevent needlestick injuries to health care workers.

The Department of Health, Hawaii Nurses' Association, and Hawaii Government Employees Association testified in support of this measure. The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations supported the measure with an amendment.

Your Committee finds that needlestick injuries put health care workers at risk for potentially fatal exposure to bloodborne pathogens, including HIV and Hepatitis C. The federal government has addressed this risk by requiring that employers use safer needle devices and maintain a sharps injury log.

This measure enhances federal recordkeeping requirements by requiring employers to include additional information in the sharps injury log. More specifically, employers are required to record the exposed worker's job classification, a description of the procedure that was performed when the injury occurred, and the injured employee's suggestions for future preventative measures.

Your Committee further finds that the procedures required by this measure will help to establish safer working conditions for health care workers.

Your Committee notes that concerns were raised that the recordkeeping exemption for injuries sustained as a result of the use of Food and Drug Administration-approved pre-filled syringes may be misconstrued as an exemption from all reporting requirements. Therefore, your Committee also finds that the exemption provision in this measure should be subject to further review and discussion when this measure is considered by the Committee on Ways and Means.

Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 61, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 61, S.D. 2.