Biohazardous Waste Disposal In 3 Simple Steps

The last thing you want to do as a medical facility is failing with your biohazardous waste disposal procedures. Medical waste can cause massive issues with public health and the health of your staff and patients. Mishandling this waste can also lead to financial penalties on your medical facility. Biohazard waste is anything that is produced by your facility that may cause an infection. This includes disposable instruments that have come into contact with human flesh of bodily fluids, such as needles. Towels and paper can get contaminated as well. Sample or culture containers are also considered medical waste. This is just a quick list and does not cover everything that might qualify. To properly handle medical waste and sharps medical waste disposal, here is a quick step-by-step guide.

First Step: Identify the Waste

Since it is so important and potentially dangerous, biohazardous waste disposal must be separate from your regular trash disposal. There are steps that must be followed prior to getting to its final destination. Medical waste must go through a sanitation process prior to going to the landfill. Because of the potential dangers, you want to make sure you are only disposing of medical waste for special handling. There are some questions you can ask yourself to identify if what you are dealing with is medical waste. Was it holding blood or is it saturated with blood? Would it have come into contact with infectious materials? Was it stored in a room that was contaminated, or was it used in a surgical procedure? If the answer is “yes” to any of these, then an item is probably medical waste. It can then be disposed of into a biohazard bag, except for needles. They must be handled following proper sharps medical waste disposal procedures in puncture-proof containers.

Second Step: Storage for Medical Waste

Once a biohazard bag is full, it should then be put into a larger container before it is transported by a medical waste service. This is required by federal regulations. The container must be certified by OSHA. Once that container is full, or on a regular schedule, you can have a service come and remove the waste from the premises. It should be not be left sitting around for too long. The longer it sits, the more likely there could be an accident.

Third Step: Biohazardous Waste Disposal

Once you have placed your medical waste into the correct containers, all that is left is to contact Medsharps to pick it up. Their medical waste disposal staff is specially trained and certified to handle your medical waste. They follow all local, state, and federal regulations to make sure that you are compliant. This is the simplest part since you have already sorted and stored your waste. As long as everything is placed in the proper containers, including sharps medical waste disposal containers, you are good to go.

Biohazardous waste disposal is not something to take lightly. There could be serious consequences not just to public health, but to your facility’s bottom line and reputation. Contact Medsharps to help with all your medical waste disposal needs and make sure that everyone stays safe.