Sharps Container Reflection

Looking at the design process from start to finish during this project was a great introduction to engineering. Working in a group was very important for this project because of how easy it was for us to all riff off of each others ideas and add/improve them. Starting on the very first day of class when we formed groups with students we had never met we launched into brainstorming and problem solving together.

We started by going down a couple of different directions--destroying the blade vs. safely storing the blade vs. improved blade removal methods. We thought of everything from special gloves to using acid to dissolve the blades. We started by choosing a few ideas we really liked and weighed options using cost, effectiveness, effort, and rate of disposal to determine the best route to take. We decided on a widely improved box that is both safer and more user friendly than the existing sharps container.

We ultimately decided on a solid outer box that contained a removable inner bag for disposal. We wanted a thick but reusable material for the inner bag so it could be safely emptied in a disposal area. The cardboard outer box acts as a fail safe and will contain any stray blades safely. We noticed that it is difficult and somewhat dangerous to remove the lid on the sharps disposal container currently in the lab so we wanted to make sure removal was easy and gentle while also keeping the sharps safe and secure while in the box. We built a solid outer cardboard box out of recycled material and then began brainstorming what we could use for the inner bag. We thought of using denim but could not find any. One of the people in my group had some felt and a sewing kit so we did some experimentation with the sharps to see how easily it could cut or poke through the felt. As it turns out, felt is extremely durable to sharp objects. It's also lightweight and cheap for any replacement bags in the future. We sewed up a bag and made sure it could fasten shut using velcro for when you lift it from the box and take it to the disposal area (so that sharp are contained within the bag during transport). We made sure the bag was stable within the box using velcro to fasten it to the walls of the box--this keeps it open and supported while also removable when needed. The last component of the box itself is a removable heavy-duty mesh wire with openings just wide enough to let a sharp in when angled correctly but not wide enough for a sharp turned horizontally. The purpose of this gridded layer is to keep sharps from escaping the box if it were to get jostled around (ie. lets sharps in, keeps sharps in). This layer is removable when retrieving the bag out of the box for disposal. Finally we put the lid on with a small hole and we had a completed box!

Inside the box:

Close up view of velcro:

Finished box--outer view:

We also wanted to call to attention the dangerous materials inside the box so we made sure to mark it as a dangerous item and that it contains sharp materials. Because you cannot see inside of the box, and therefore can't know when it is full, we brainstormed ways to know when to empty the inner bag. We decided on a tally system where people check a box every time they dispose of a sharp inside the box. When the 30th box gets checked, there is instructions to remove the bag and reset to the next page of empty boxes. This also calls attention to the task at hand and adds another action for the person disposing of the sharps to be aware of which in-turn brings more overall awareness to the task at hand leading to an ultimately safer and easier disposal mechanism.

The project went really well and group-work was what made this come to life. Communicating well, finding time outside of class, supportive attitudes, and open-mindedness were key to the success of this project!