what is safe way to dispose medical waste

To speak Environmental friendly in terms of energy consumption and Public Health; Controled incineration in the best way to eliminate all sorts of medical waste.

Safe way to dispose medical waste

The safe way for medical waste disposal can be summarized in brief as follows:

1. 1. The important steps for Proper management of biomedical waste are institutional implementation of procedures and regulations, such as ensuring worker safety, providing secure methods of waste collection and transportation, installing safe treatment and disposal mechanisms.

   2. The most essential part of hospital waste management is the segregation of bio-medical waste. The segregation of the waste should be performed within the premises of the hospital/nursing homes. The color coding and types of containers to be used for the different waste categories as well as suggested treatment options are listed below.

   3. Categories of Bio-medical Waste treatment opitions

 Option

Treatment & Disposal  

Waste Category

Cat. No.1

Incineration /deep burial

Human Anatomical Waste (human tissues, organs, body parts)

Cat. No.2

Incineration /deep burial

Body parts carcasses, bleeding parts, fluid, blood,

Cat. No.3

Local autoclaving/ micro waving/ incineration

Microbiology & Biotechnology waste (wastes from laboratory cultures, stocks or specimens of micro-organisms live or attenuated vaccines, and infectious agents from laboratories.

Cat. No.4

Disinfections (chemical treatment autoclaving/micro wavingand mutilation shredding

Waste Sharps (needles, syringes, scalpels blades, glass etc. that may cause puncture and cuts. This includes both used & unused sharps)

Cat. No.5

Incineration / destruction & drugs disposal in secured landfills  

Discarded Medicines and Cytotoxic drugs (wastes comprising of outdated, contaminated and discarded medicines)

Cat. No.6

Incineration , autoclaving/micro waving

Solid Waste (Items contaminated with blood and body fluids including cotton, dressings, soiled plaster casts, , other material contaminated with blood)

Cat. No.7

Disinfections by chemical treatment autoclaving/micro waving&mutilation shredding.

Solid Waste (waste generated from disposable items other than the waste sharps such as tubing, catheters, intravenous sets etc.)

Cat. No.8

Disinfections by chemical treatment and discharge into drain

Liquid Waste (waste generated from laboratory & washing, cleaning   , house-keeping and disinfecting activities)

Cat. No.9

Disposal in municipal landfill

Incineration Ash (ash from incineration of any bio-medical waste)

Cat. No.10

Chemical treatment & discharge into drain for liquid & secured landfill for solids 

Chemical Waste (chemicals used in production of biological, chemicals, used in disinfect ion, as insecticides, etc.)

Mutilation/shredding must be such so as to prevent unauthorized reuse.

  There will be no chemical pretreatment before incineration. Chlorinated plastics shall not be incinerated.

Deep burial shall be an option available only in towns with population less than five lakhs and in rural areas.

1. Best Practice of biomedical waste handling and transportation

   1. Persons handling packages or spills of biological waste shall wear appropriate personal protective equipment, which includes, but is not limited to, gloves, gowns, laboratory coats, and face shields or masks and eye protection as needed.

   2. Ruptured or leaking packages of biological waste shall be repackaged prior to transport.

   3. Biological waste containers shall be removed for disposal only by contract personnel appropriately trained by the contractor

   4. Transporters of medical waste must be licensed and shall only receive such a license upon being able to demonstrate that they have the required systems to handle medical waste.

   5. Medical waste must be transported in vehicles that are designed for that purpose. The vehicle transporting medical waste must be licensed to carry this waste and will only receive such a license upon satisfying the licensing body that they meet the requirements. Vehicles must be leak proof, vandal proof, labeled as a vehicles transporting hazardous waste and designed to facilitate washing and disinfection.

2. Personnel Training Procedures

     Employee training programs must emphasize on the following:

1. 1.  Personal hygiene, especially washing hands

   2.  The facility's procedures for the reduction, segregation, collection, packaging, colored coding, labeling, storage, and in-house movement of waste;

   3.  Methods for preventing the transmission of infections related to waste handling procedures;

   4. The hazards of those materials to which workers may be exposed; and

   5.  The actions to be taken and which supervisory staff should be notified in the event of an accident.

   6. Employee training programs should be continually assessed and reinforced, and their content periodically reviewed and updated as necessary.

   7.  Consideration should be given to adapt the training programs to suit personnels who may not be fluent in the official language of predominant use or who may not be fully literate.

   8. To minimize the occupational health risks associated with the handling and disposal of biomedical waste, occupational health care programs should Include a regular assessment of waste management procedures to assure compliance with applicable standards and all municipal regulations and legislation;

   9.  Provide appropriate personal protective equipment and hand washing facilities for workers involved in various stages of waste handling and disposal;

c. Include a written procedure to handle and report needle- stick injuries and other waste handling incidents. Injuries caused by needle-sticks and sharp instruments should be documented, reviewed, and changes implemented to prevent similar incidents in the future;

d. Emphasize the need for point of segregation so that waste is placed within an appropriate waste container;

e. Review the type and quality of waste containers used and, if necessary, have them upgraded to be more suitable;

f. Review handling practices to determine if there are any problems as a result of excessive or inappropriate handling. If so, effective solutions should be found.

4. Waste haulers and handlers should always be appropriately clothed and wear personal protective equipment so that harmful agents, whether physical, chemical, or infectious, are prevented from gaining access to open wounds, cuts, or by absorption through the skin. Personal protective equipment may include gloves, gowns, safety glasses, protective footwear, etc.