Abstract: The safety casing for an intravenous catheter needle is used in conjunction with an elongated, hollow tube catheter having a catheter hub. The catheter hub has an interior catch rib therein. The safety casing includes an elongated needle case which is longer than the length of the needle. The case has a longitudinal slot therethrough. A movable slide control, attached to a proximal end of the needle, is disposed within the case and includes an operator tab protruding through the longitudinal slot. The needle case includes a distal end cap that is sized to fit within the proximal open end of the catheter hub. The end cap has a needle passage therethrough such that in all positions other than the fully retracted position, the needle is disposed within the needle passage. The end cap also includes a pair of needle jaws formed as flexible pincers within the needle passage.