{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-63-63-1-539.2","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 63, § 63-1-539.2","heading":"Needlestick Injury Prevention Committee – Appointments","body":"– Powers and duties.\n\nA. By August 1, 2000, each of the following agencies and\n\nassociations shall appoint a member to the Needlestick Injury\n\nPrevention Committee:\n\n1. The State Department of Health;\n\n2. The State Department of Labor;\n\n3. The Oklahoma Board of Nursing;\n\n4. The Oklahoma State Medical Association;\n\n5. The Oklahoma Osteopathic Association;\n\n6. The Oklahoma Hospital Association;\n\n7. The Oklahoma Nurses Association;\n\n8. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America;\n\n9. The Professional Firefighters of Oklahoma Association;\n\n10. The Oklahoma Emergency Medical Technicians Association; and\n\n11. The Oklahoma Municipal League.\n\nB. Upon appointment of a member, each agency and entity\n\nspecified by subsection A of this section shall submit the name,\n\naddress and telephone number of the member so appointed to the State\n\nCommissioner of Health.\n\nC. The State Commissioner of Health shall convene the first\n\nmeeting of the Committee on or before October 1, 2000.\n\nD. 1. The Committee shall elect a chair and vice-chair from\n\namong its members. The Committee shall meet as often as necessary\n\nto develop guidelines for the use of needleless systems and\n\nengineered sharps injury protection and to comply with the\n\nprovisions of the Needlestick Injury Prevention Act. A majority of\n\nthe members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of\n\nbusiness.\n\n2. The Committee is authorized to utilize the conference rooms\n\nof the State Department of Health and to obtain staff assistance\n\nfrom the Department as needed.\n\n3. The members of the Committee shall be reimbursed expenses\n\nincurred in the performance of their duties as provided in the State\n\nTravel Reimbursement Act. Members appointed by any state agency\n\nshall be reimbursed for any authorized expense incurred in the\n\nperformance of such members’ duties for the Committee, as provided\n\nin the State Travel Reimbursement Act. For members who are not\n\nstate employees, the State Department of Health shall be responsible\n\nfor the processing and payment of any authorized expense incurred in\n\nthe performance of such members’ duties for the Committee, as\n\nprovided in the State Travel Reimbursement Act.\n\nE. Before developing any guidelines for the development of\n\nuniform rules, the Committee shall give public notice, offer\n\nopportunity for public comment and conduct statewide public\n\nmeetings.\n\nF. The Committee shall have the power and duty to:\n\n1. Evaluate needleless systems and sharps with engineered\n\nsharps injury protection in high exposure areas;\n\n2. Compile a list of existing needleless systems and sharps\n\nwith engineered sharps injury protection to assist employers;\n\n3. Develop guidelines for uniform administrative rules related\n\nto the use of needleless systems and engineered sharps injury\n\nprotection in high exposure areas;\n\n4. Develop compliance thresholds for needleless systems in high\n\nexposure areas;\n\n5. Assess the rate of use of needleless systems in high\n\nexposure areas;\n\n6. Utilize the latest version of a directive published by the\n\nOccupational Safety and Health Administration, United States\n\nDepartment of Labor entitled “Enforcement Procedures for the\n\nOccupational Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens” for the reporting\n\nmechanism for needlestick injuries in high exposure areas;\n\n7. Prior to March 1, 2004, and annually thereafter determine\n\nwhether there is sufficient utilization of sharps prevention\n\ntechnology in the state in high risk areas. If the Committee\n\ndetermines that there is a sufficient use of sharps prevention\n\ntechnology in the state, prior to the promulgation of rules pursuant\n\nto Section 3 of this act, the Committee shall recommend to the rule-\n\nmaking agencies that the proposed rules not be promulgated. If such\n\ndetermination is made after the rules have been promulgated pursuant\nhnology in the state in high risk areas. If the Committee\n\ndetermines that there is a sufficient use of sharps prevention\n\ntechnology in the state, prior to the promulgation of rules pursuant\n\nto Section 3 of this act, the Committee shall recommend to the rule-\n\nmaking agencies that the proposed rules not be promulgated. If such\n\ndetermination is made after the rules have been promulgated pursuant\n\nto Section 3 of this act, the Committee shall recommend to the rule-\n\nmaking agencies that such promulgated rules be rescinded; and\n\n8. Evaluate and consider such other data and information\n\nnecessary to perform its duties and responsibilities pursuant to the\n\nprovisions of the Needlestick Injury Prevention Act.\n\nG. In exercising such powers and duties the Committee shall:\n\n1. Consider training and education requirements and increased\n\nuse of personal protective equipment in high exposure areas;\n\n2. Consider the cost, cost benefit analysis and the\n\navailability of a needleless system; and\n\n3. Consider information contained in the Center for Disease\n\nPrevention and Control's publication on universal precautions.\n\nH. 1. On or before May 1, 2003, the Committee shall establish\n\nguidelines for the development of uniform administrative rules by\n\nthe agencies specified in Section 3 of this act related to the use\n\nof needleless systems and engineered sharps injury protection.\n\nGuidelines established by the Needlestick Injury Prevention\n\nCommittee and rules promulgated by the state agencies specified in\n\nSection 3 of this act shall in no way prohibit or otherwise limit\n\nthe use of:\n\na. a prefilled syringe that is approved by the federal\n\nFood and Drug Administration; provided, however, this\n\nexemption shall expire on June 1, 2004, and\n\nb. prefilled syringes purchased or in stock prior to June\n\n1, 2004.\n\n2. Before developing such guidelines the Committee shall\n\nprovide an opportunity for public comment through a series of\n\nstatewide public hearings. The Committee shall give advance public\n\nnotice of such hearings.\n\n3. On or before August 1, 2003, the agencies listed in Section\n\n3 of this act shall submit copies of proposed rules to the Committee\n\nfor review.\n\n4. On or before September 1, 2003, the Committee shall review\n\nthe proposed rules prepared by such agencies for uniformity and\n\ncompliance with the guidelines established by the Committee. The\n\nCommittee shall forward copies of the proposed rules to the Hospital\n\nAdvisory Council for review.\n\n5. Beginning November 1, 2003, the Hospital Advisory Council\n\nshall forward to the Committee for review copies of any proposed\n\namendments to the rules promulgated pursuant to the Needlestick\n\nInjury Prevention Act. The Committee shall consider such comments\n\nand recommendations in making its recommendations to such agencies\n\nfor modifications to the proposed rules, as necessary to ensure\n\nuniformity and compliance with the established guidelines.\n\n6. On or before July 1, 2003, the Committee shall develop and\n\nmaintain a list of existing needleless systems and engineered sharps\n\ninjury protections. This list shall be available to assist\n\nemployers in complying with the requirement of the standards,\n\nadopted in accordance with the Needlestick Injury Prevention Act.\n\n7. Beginning March 1, 2004, the Committee shall meet not less\n\nthan annually and more often as necessary, as determined by the\n\nchair of the Committee, for the purpose of reviewing proposed or\n\nnecessary amendments to the rules promulgated pursuant to the\n\nNeedlestick Injury Prevention Act, in order to ensure the continuing\n\nconsistency and uniformity of the rules to provide for necessary\n\nrevisions of the list.\n\nI. Each state agency listed in Section 3 of this act shall\n\nprovide information and staff assistance as necessary to prepare the\n\nrules, procedures, forms and lists required by the Needlestick\n\nInjury Prevention Act.\nlgated pursuant to the\n\nNeedlestick Injury Prevention Act, in order to ensure the continuing\n\nconsistency and uniformity of the rules to provide for necessary\n\nrevisions of the list.\n\nI. Each state agency listed in Section 3 of this act shall\n\nprovide information and staff assistance as necessary to prepare the\n\nrules, procedures, forms and lists required by the Needlestick\n\nInjury Prevention Act.\n\nJ. The Committee shall terminate on July 1, 2006.","path":["OK Code","Title 63"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os63.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"02355ff091071d0ed8fa31c5c8ed754885ca4037dfc704f013a136b096781661","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-63-63-1-539.13","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-63-63-1-539.3"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}