Course Overview
Format
- Intermediate
- 1-2 Study Hours
- Online Study
- Self-Printed Certificate
Accreditation
- 1-2 CPD Hours
- CPD Certified
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- Introduction to Sharps 00:09:00
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- Regulations Concerning Sharps 00:07:00
- Safe Handling Procedures 00:11:00
- Duties and Responsibilities of Personnel 00:08:00
Overview:
This Sharps Training course provides essential guidance for anyone who may come into contact with sharps—such as needles, scalpels, or broken glass—in their workplace. The course covers identification of sharps, safe usage practices, correct disposal methods, and procedures following a sharps injury. It aligns with UK health and safety legislation and aims to reduce the risk of injury and infection. Ideal for healthcare, cleaning, waste management, and community support workers.
Learning Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of this course, learners will be able to:
- Identify what constitutes a sharp and the risks associated
- Understand the importance of safe handling techniques
- Learn correct procedures for disposal of sharps in designated containers
- Respond effectively to sharps injuries and follow reporting protocols
- Recognise the risks of bloodborne pathogens such as HIV and Hepatitis
- Comply with relevant UK health and safety regulations
- Promote a safe working environment through awareness and good practice
Who Is This Course For?
This course is suitable for healthcare staff, waste disposal workers, cleaners, tattoo artists, community carers, and anyone working in environments where exposure to sharps is possible. It is also valuable for supervisors responsible for safety protocols. No prior training is needed, making it ideal for both new staff and those requiring refresher knowledge.
Requirements:
No formal qualifications are required. Learners should have basic English literacy and internet access. The course is designed to be accessible and practical, using real-life scenarios, video demonstrations, and simple step-by-step instructions to ensure thorough understanding.
Career Path:
Sharps training supports roles in healthcare, social care, sanitation, beauty therapy, and environmental services. It is often a mandatory requirement for safe practice and can lead to more advanced health and safety roles such as Infection Control Officer, Clinical Waste Manager, or Healthcare Assistant with enhanced responsibilities.
How the online courses work
To begin searching for your online training you can click on the course category section on our website and browse through all of our training categories.
Alternatively if you already know the title of the training you’re looking for you can use the search bar located in the centre of the homepage and go directly to the course you want.
When buying one of our courses, you will need to enter a valid email address which will be used to create your account with our Learning Management System – Enable – where you will take the training. We will also send your purchase receipt to this email address, and any additional courses purchased in future using the same email address will be added to your system account.
Once you have purchased a course, you will be able to send this course to other people using your system account with Enable by entering the new learner’s email address so that they may access the training and set up their own system account with our Learning Management System.
If you are not 100% satisfied with your course then we offer a 30-day, no hassle money-back guarantee. To request a refund, you should email our learner support team with your receipt stating why you would like to be reimbursed. You, or your learners, must not have completed the training in order to make a valid refund claim. Any claim made after the training has been completed will be invalidated.
This online course consists of a series of pages in which an instructor will talk learners through the lesson material. Pages may include supporting pictures, graphs, animation or extra sounds to help with the learning where appropriate. Some lessons will include challenges/quizzes to help learners stay engaged and interested in the material. Lessons can be taken in any order and each lesson may be paused and resumed at any stage.
The course is self-paced so learners decide how fast or slow the training goes. There is no deadline for completion but some of our courses have a test at the end to check that learners have understood the material. If the course has a test at the end then learners are required to achieve a 75% pass mark to successfully complete the course. Once learners have passed the test they are awarded a certificate, which can either be downloaded digitally or sent as a physical copy if this option was chosen when purchasing the course.
Upon completion of any of our courses, learners will be able to download a digital certificate from Virtual College which will include the accrediting bodies logo where applicable, the learner’s name, the title of the course and the date of completion.
If you have purchased the posted certificate option, available on selected courses, a high quality, seal embossed, certificate will be sent out the following working week after completion.
Ready to go FAQs
+ Vat

- Self printed certificate
Buying more than one of the same course?
- 20% discount for orders of 10+ courses
- 30% discount for orders of 50+ courses
- 40% discount for orders of 100+ courses