A sharps protector is formed of a hard, pierce-resistant shell filled with a receptor material. One or two ends of the shell provide entry, and a center or end wall is a pierce-resistant barrier limiting pin push-through. The receptor material is set back at each entry end, thereby establishing a pre-entry pocket that prealigns the pin for accurate entry. Exterior surfaces of the protector are coded to indicate entry positions and barrier positions, using visual or tactile coding. Glow-in-the-dark or reflective material on the surface of the shell aids recovery of dropped protectors.

A pin includes: (a) a pin shaft with a pin point; (b) an elongate pin head attached to an end of the pin shaft distal to the pin point having a pin head length, wherein the elongate pin head is characterized by an elongate tapered ribbed construction with a plurality of ribs defining a rib profile extending from an outer end of the elongate pin head distal to the pin shaft to an inner end of the elongate pin head proximate the pin shaft, said rib profile having a characteristic outer end dimension which is larger than a characteristic inner end dimension of the rib profile proximate the pin shaft, said elongate pin head being further characterized by a plurality of outwardly projecting gripping rings located a distance from the outer end of the pin head toward the inner end of the pin head.

A pin includes: (a) a pin shaft with a pin point; (b) an elongate pin head attached to an end of the pin shaft distal to the pin point having a pin head length, wherein the elongate pin head is characterized by an elongate tapered ribbed construction with a plurality of ribs defining a rib profile extending from an outer end of the elongate pin head distal to the pin shaft to an inner end of the elongate pin head proximate the pin shaft, said rib profile having a characteristic outer end dimension which is larger than a characteristic inner end dimension of the rib profile proximate the pin shaft, said elongate pin head being further characterized by a plurality of outwardly projecting gripping rings located a distance from the outer end of the pin head toward the inner end of the pin head.

A pin includes: (a) a pin shaft with a pin point; (b) an elongate pin head attached to an end of the pin shaft distal to the pin point having a pin head length, wherein the elongate pin head is characterized by an elongate tapered ribbed construction with a plurality of ribs defining a rib profile extending from an outer end of the elongate pin head distal to the pin shaft to an inner end of the elongate pin head proximate the pin shaft, said rib profile having a characteristic outer end dimension which is larger than a characteristic inner end dimension of the rib profile proximate the pin shaft, said elongate pin head being further characterized by a plurality of outwardly projecting gripping rings located a distance from the outer end of the pin head toward the inner end of the pin head.

A pin includes: (a) a pin shaft with a pin point; (b) an elongate pin head attached to an end of the pin shaft distal to the pin point having a pin head length, wherein the elongate pin head is characterized by an elongate tapered ribbed construction with a plurality of ribs defining a rib profile extending from an outer end of the elongate pin head distal to the pin shaft to an inner end of the elongate pin head proximate the pin shaft, said rib profile having a characteristic outer end dimension which is larger than a characteristic inner end dimension of the rib profile proximate the pin shaft, said elongate pin head being further characterized by a plurality of outwardly projecting gripping rings located a distance from the outer end of the pin head toward the inner end of the pin head.