Ohio, Oklahoma, Connecticut, and Alaska are the most recent states to pass needle safety legislation.  The current list of states that have taken legislative action and the date the bills were signed into law follows:  

According to the International Health Care Worker Safety Center at the University of Virginia, Hawaii has passed a senate resolution, but not a law, regarding their support for implementation of safer medical devices.  The District of Columbia, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island have bills pending.

Ohio law, the most recent to be approved, requires public institutions to use safety needles and provides training on how to use them and how to keep records of needlestick injuries.  Similar to other states' laws, it makes exceptions for lack of available products and when products compromise patient safety.  The legislation's standards are close to federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rules and will take effect in three months.  

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 health care-acquired infections (HAIs) page presents updates on the latest techniques and strategies in the never-ending battle between infection preventionists and HAIs. Focusing on the latest in medical literature, we also present perspectives from the top infection preventionists and other medical experts in the country about how to put the growing knowledge of HAIs into use in the everyday world of infection prevention. Articles and videos often focus on methods to contain and control pathogens and multidrug-resistant organisms from spreading within the health care system.

Needlestick Prevention Law Update