If you are a medical facility, part of keeping your company OSHA compliant is ensuring that medical waste is properly disposed of. Different types of waste are disposed of in different types of containers. The waste is also processed based on the type it is.
Items used in an infusion ward for chemotherapy are discarded in a different container than other hospital waste. Sharps also have their own type of container that protects others from getting stuck or cut. Medical waste that is not disposed of properly could cause the spread of disease.
What Are the Types of OSHA Violations?
OSHA Standards are often violated, causing injuries and deaths. In 2018 the top 10 violations didn’t include medical waste disposal, though that is an OSHA violation. The Standards are in place to keep you and others safe. Improper disposal of medical waste not only affects humans but also affects the environment, including wild animals, farm animals, and even pets. The top 10 OSHA violations in 2018 included:
- Fall protection;
- Hazard communication (injuries due to chemical exposure);
- Scaffolding;
- Respiratory protection;
- Lockout/Tagout (for machinery);
- Ladders;
- Powered industrial trucks;
- Fall protection—training requirements;
- Machine guarding; and
- Eye and face protection.
Some medical waste involves chemicals that you wouldn’t want to be exposed to. This may include chemotherapy and other dangerous chemicals used in a medical facility, eye and face protection, respiratory protection and other standards that might apply to a medical facility including laboratories.
OSHA Standards and Checklist
When you use MedWaste Services, you’ll have access to OSHA compliance information and an OSHA compliance checklist to ensure that your facility is in compliance. Make sure you know of all of the OSHA requirements for employers and how to train your employees.
An OSHA inspection may cover factors such as the placement, type, and labeling of sharps containers and the disposal of anything that blood may have touched.
OSHA doesn’t have a specific medical waste standard. The closest it comes is the Bloodborne Pathogens, Standard 1910.1030. This standard covers the handling of bloodborne pathogens, including anything that blood may have touched, including laundry, sharps and “other potentially infectious material,’ which could be anything that came into contact with a patient.
The Bloodborne Pathogens standard also dictates that employers must have an exposure control plan and have training in place for all employees to learn how to handle and properly dispose of medical waste. If you see someone improperly disposing of medical waste, including throwing sharps and/or contaminated items in the regular trash, you should complete and file an OSHA complaint form.
A combination of federal regulations, including EPA and OSHA regulations, and state regulations, dictate how medical waste must be disposed of. If the state’s regulations are stricter than federal regulations, medical facilities and medical waste disposal services must abide by state regulations. If federal regulations are stricter, the facilities must abide by federal regulations. Some states do not have regulations, but most dictate how medical waste is disposed of once a service company picks up the waste.
These methods must sterilize the waste using a chemical or physical procedure before it is disposed of. Once the waste is sterilized, it must be disposed of properly. Some waste may go to a landfill while other types of waste should be incinerated.
Contact MedWaste Services
Contact MedWaste Services to learn more about medical waste disposal in North Carolina and Louisiana and to learn more about our disposal services. You may also learn more about the training process that should be in place for your employees, including state and federal regulations.