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As a leader in the medical waste disposal industry, Choice Med-Waste is committed to providing you with safe, compliant, and environmentally friendly solutions for your organization.
In line with that, let us share with you the best practices for the management of medical waste and how we can help you maintain a safe facility for everyone.
Understanding Medical Waste
Before we dive into our best practices, it's a MUST to understand what constitutes medical waste. This can include:
Used sharps (needles, syringes, and lancets and any other items that if broken could puncture the skin)
Contaminated gloves, gowns, and other protective equipment
Blood-soaked bandages and gauze
Laboratory specimens and cultures
Pharmaceuticals and empty pharmaceutical containers
Best Practices for Medical Waste Disposal
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Proper Segregation and Labeling
Some states like Pennsylvania require generators to segregate their specific infectious waste streams on site. It is best industry practices to do this regardless of the local regulations where your facility resides.
First, you need to keep any infectious or potentially infectious material separate from solid waste and recycling. Second, you should be segregating any non-hazardous pharmaceuticals, pathological, trace chemotherapy and regulated medical waste from each other at the point of generation so certain waste streams can be tracked and handle appropriately. Your medical waste hauler should provide containers to assist with this process. This can be done with marking certain boxes or color coding various plastic containers.
Safe Handling and Storage
Training your staff on the correct handling procedures for medical waste is very important to minimize the risk of injury or exposure. Require them to store medical waste in secure, leak-proof containers–away from high-traffic areas and out of reach of any unauthorized personnel. Sharps should not be transported far before being disposed of in a rigid, puncture proof plastic container for proper storage until final disposal.
Regular Waste Collection and Disposal
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A schedule of regular medical waste pickups with a reliable medical waste disposal provider like Choice Med-Waste is a great choice as we comply with federal, state, and local regulations, and can provide autoclave or incineration treatment.
Compliance with Regulations
Every state has their own regulations managing infectious waste disposal services; however, there are also federal regulations from OSHA, DOT and EPA that influence how your regulated waste streams should be handled. Choice Med-Waste is a proud member of the Healthcare Waste Institute that assists in staying up to date on all state and federal regulations. Partnering with a medical waste company who is a member of this national association is crucial for being compliant on constantly changing regulations.
Choice Med-Waste: Your Partner in Medical Waste Disposal
As your trusted provider of medical waste disposal services, we have comprehensive ways that truly set us apart.
Customized Solutions
We assess your facility's unique needs and develop a customized regulated waste disposal plan, such as flexible scheduling options to ensure timely and convenient pickups that work with your organization's schedule.
Comprehensive Training and Support
We have a team that gives ongoing training and support to help your staff to have a safe and compliant working environment. We also do offer online compliance training and resources to keep you informed about the latest regulations and industry standards.
Environmentally Friendly Disposal Methods
We are known for our commitment to using environmentally responsible disposal methods, such as autoclaving and waste to energy final disposal solutions.
We pride ourselves on continuing to explore recycling and sustainable waste operations for our clients to utilize.
Ensure Safe and Compliant Medical Waste Management with Choice Med-Waste
Ready to implement medical waste disposal best practices and maintain a safe, compliant facility? Trust Choice Med-Waste. Reach us today for more information on how we can help.