W orking W ith L arge r ecyc L er t o e L iminate n eed L e i njuries o n s orting L ines W orkers on recycle sorting lines are exposed to needles in waste streams every day increasing the likelihood that a worker will come in contact with an exposed contaminated needle HexArmor saw an opportunity to engineer a solution for these sorters using its advanced technology and worked with W aste Management Inc to spearhead an antineedle program that has virtually eliminated needle injuries to date R I s I ng nu M be R of needles I n R ecycle st R e AM s c R e A tes need fo R bette R PP e W aste Management Inc s WM increased recycling and sorting demands brought workers in contact with sharps and needles hidden in plastic bottles and containers Each year recycling workers are exposed to approximately twotothree billion improperly disposed needles Exposure to contaminated needles created an unacceptable health risk for employees and the company HexA RM o R coll A bo RA tes WI t H WM to develo P needle PR otect I on solut I ons HexArmor designers worked directly with WM s safety team to create a series of protective gloves that had the capability to resist needle sticks and punctures as well as resist cuts from broken glass shards steel wire and wood splinters commonly encountered in recycling operations The collaborative nature of the HexArmor WM relationship led to the development of a mandated hand and arm protection program for recycle sorters that requires operators and line workers to exclusively wear HexArmor products while on the job SuperFabric technology was the key to preventing needle sticks and punctures from sharps as well as offering optimal resistance to cuts in a wide range of recycling and sorting tasks SuperFabric stopped needle sticks at the point of attack to protect workers health and safety In addition to developing a complete line of recycling and sorting gloves HexArmor has developed needleresistant Arm Guards which are now also required in the W aste Management Recycling Protection Mandate HexArmor continues to collaborate with WM on improving current products and engineering advanced solutions that offer superior protection and extended service in a wide range of waste handling and recycling applications SharpsMaster II 9014 Needle exposures can cost anywhere from 5000 for initial evaluations to in excess of 36000 per year for ongoing treatment 12 63 of injection drug users dispose of needles in their residential trash 34 HexArmor developed over 14 generations of hand protection to solve W aste Management s needle injuries and continues to collaborate on further RD Recycling facts