Medical Waste Container Tips: Dos & Don’ts
With the advent of proper waste disposal processes, medical facilities created safer conditions for both patients and workers. A major component to managing medical waste is using the right receptacles. In fact, it’s appropriate to look over the do’s and don’ts of implementing medical waste containers in a professional situation.
Don’t Ship Medical Waste Containers
Medical waste containers are robust in construction, but they aren’t meant to be shipped around without packaging protecting them. Ideally, medical-facility managers want to have a waste provider that personally picks up and delivers these receptacles. In rare instances, these receptacles might be shipped with a lot of bubble wrap and boxing around them. If a container cracks during shipment, however, the items within can easily contaminate the surroundings. A regular pickup from medical waste disposal companies would eliminate that possibility.
Do Use Them for All Sharps Waste
Emergency rooms and other facilities become extremely busy during a given workday, which makes waste disposal protocols very important. All sharps items need to make it into the proper receptacles. Needles and blades cannot be left out in the open until the hurried atmosphere abates. From the moment that the item is deemed as trash, it must be immediately placed in a receptacle that has a locking access point. Only management and medical waste disposal companies should be able to open and treat the items inside of the container. Sharps that enter another waste receptacle may prick others or damage the container otherwise.
Do Communicate With The Disposal Company
A facility that has a normally slow accumulation of Sharps medical waste containers may be suddenly inundated with waste. In these cases, they should be able to rely on waste disposal companies. Although scheduled routes are normal for waste professionals, they also leave room for some emergency visits. Facility managers can contact the disposal company, and they might have a representative at the property within a few hours. Basic communication is all that’s necessary when a facility has an unusually large volume of waste that must be collected.
Don’t Use Alternative Receptacles
Facility managers should always have a good eye on the biohazard waste containers around the building. Once any container is about halfway full, arrangements must be made to either swap it out or empty it with the disposal company. Medical professionals shouldn’t use alternative containers as temporary storage solutions. These containers can have minute cracks or holes that allow any waste to seep out. As an intelligent solution, try to keep extra containers on hand that are certified from the disposal company. When one container is nearly full, a replacement can be added as quickly as possible until the removal experts arrive.
Do Pick a Compliant Pickup Company
Disposal of Medical waste is a specialized niche in the industry that requires training, certifications and compliance protocols. When a medical facility is looking for a new disposal professional, managers should look for compliance among all of the items being serviced by those experts. Being compliant in several different disposal genres means that the entire company strives to serve all of their customers with as many services as possible. These compliance certifications are usually updated each year so facilities can verify any changes with local authorities.
Reputable medical waste disposal companies should have flexible hours to serve their clients, especially for hospitals and other facilities. Ask about customer service that might be late into the night or 24-hours a day. Medical waste disposal is a service that can be around-the-clock when a facility serves a large population. Every facility deserves to have the proper waste receptacles available at all times for the safety of everyone.
