A needle guard 12 comprises a housing 14 defining an interior cavity and a transitional member 16 disposed within the interior cavity. The transitional member 16 comprises a pivoting arm 36 having a first end and a second end, the first end adjacent an interior portion of the housing 14, a needle tip sensing element 38 connected to the pivoting arm 36, and a transverse barrier 40. The needle tip sensing element 38 extends radially outward from a first side of the pivoting arm 36 adjacent the second end and the transverse barrier 40 extends radially outward from a second side of the pivoting arm 36 adjacent the second end, where the first side is opposite to the second side.
