Stay Compliant in Hospital Waste Disposal
Hospital waste is generated in record volumes across the nation, but organized facilities handle the items with strict rules and regulations to streamline the process. In fact, these medical facilities must remain in compliance with state and federal laws in order to keep their doors open to the public. With the help of professional hospital waste disposal representatives, medical facilities learn how to stay compliant with a few basic ideas in mind each day.
Schedule Frequent Meetings on Hospital Waste Disposal Regulations
Remaining compliant requires consistent meetings among all medical staff members. Ideally, facility managers should meet with medical waste pickup personnel first. These meetings might be on a bimonthly or monthly basis. After all of the pertinent information is discussed and qualified, the managers can now offer a meeting to their main floor staff. Frequent meetings remind workers of their everyday disposal habits and any changes that might be necessary. A slight change to disposal protocols can mean the difference between safe and dangerous handling situations.
Encourage Communication Among Medical Staff
A medical facility must have a strong team to support all of the incoming patients. Staff members should be comfortable speaking with each other, especially if a protocol is being neglected or forgotten. Facility managers need to convey that communication among healthcare workers is critical for compliance reasons. If a nurse notices an assistant isn’t capping the used needles as necessary, he or she should point out this oversight. Everyone needs to avoid a negative tone, however. A respectful reminder will only build the team spirit while keeping everyone safe during hospital waste disposal practices.
Report Any Malfunctioning Containers
A facility’s medical waste pickup times should be relatively frequent but busy periods may create an overflow issue within certain containers. Staying compliant means that everyone needs to be aware of any malfunctions, including full or broken containers. When any container doesn’t operate as it should, staff members need to immediately contact their manager. An emergency pickup and repair can be put into action, which keeps everyone safe and adheres to compliance procedures. A facility can lose their compliance with negligent behavior.
Build a relationship between the medical facility and hospital waste disposal professionals by electing one or two people as liaisons. If any questions ever arise at either of the companies, there’s an immediate answer by the designated contacts. With this strategy, medical waste pickup is efficient and compliant with each visit to the facility.
