This specification provides the performance requirements and associated test procedures for the puncture resistance of materials used in the construction of containers for discarded medical needles and other sharps. It shall establish the average and minimum value of puncture force that the container materials must withstand under controlled laboratory conditions and normal room temperature when following the test procedure described herein. Materials meeting the specified performance requirements will be considered puncture resistant, but this specification will not evaluate the construction of, or provide pass/fail criteria for, sharps containers.

This abstract is a brief summary of the referenced standard. It is informational only and not an official part of the standard; the full text of the standard itself must be referred to for its use and application. ASTM does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents of this abstract are accurate, complete or up to date.

1. Scope

1.1 The purpose of this specification is to provide a test procedure and performance requirement for the puncture resistance of materials used in the construction of containers for discarded medical needles and other sharps. This test specification will establish (1) the average puncture force and (2) a minimum value of puncture force that container material(s) must withstand when following the test procedure described in Section 6. This specification shall be applicable to regions of uniform material and thickness, and needle contact areas as defined in 3.1.7 and 3.1.9. Materials meeting the performance requirements of Section 4 shall be considered “puncture-resistant.” This specification does not evaluate the construction of, or provide pass/fail criteria for, a sharps container.

1.2 This specification provides a test procedure to determine if all regions of one container meet the material puncture resistance requirements. It does not define the number of additional test containers required to achieve a statistically valid sample of a manufacturing lot or process. An appropriate sampling plan shall be determined by the test requester, as this depends upon the manufacturing process variability, manufacturing lot size, and other factors, such as end-user requirements.

1.3 This specification is intended to evaluate the performance of materials used in the construction or manufacture of sharps containers under controlled laboratory conditions, and at normal room temperature (see 6.1). (Warning—This specification only characterizes material puncture resistance at normal room temperatures. Applications of sharps containers outside the range of 23 ± 2°C (such as usage in emergency vehicles) require further material characterization by the product specifier to determine suitable use.)

1.4 The values stated in inch/pound are to be regarded as the standard. The SI values given in parentheses are for information only.

1.5 The following hazard caveat pertains only to the test procedure portion, Section 6, of this specification.

1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

2. Referenced Documents (purchase separately) The documents listed below are referenced within the subject standard but are not provided as part of the standard.

Other Standards

ASTM Standards

E691 Practice for Conducting an Interlaboratory Study to Determine the Precision of a Test Method

ISO Standards

Keywords

material puncture resistance; needle disposal; puncture resistance; puncture-resistance testing; safety devices; sharps container; sharps disposal; Containers--environmental applications; Discarded medical instruments/supplies; Needles; Puncture testing; Sharps disposal; Surgical instruments--specifications;

ICS Code

ICS Number Code 11.140 (Hospital equipment); 19.060 (Mechanical testing)

Citing ASTM Standards

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