When dealing with medical waste, safety is a top priority.
Medical waste is one of the most dangerous forms of hazardous waste. That means that it must be handled with extreme caution. When you are responsible for moving, storing, or disposing of medical waste, you must do everything you can to minimize the chances of accidents and other mishaps. Here’s how you can do it.
Avoiding Injury
You must do what you can to prevent both workers and bystanders from being hurt. After all, whenever you generate any type of hazardous waste, you hold a cradle to grave responsibility for ensuring that it is eventually destroyed or neutralized. Sharps are one of the most common types of medical waste, but since these are needles and other pointed implements, it’s easy for someone to injure themselves by accident. Everyone who deals with sharps needs to know which container they go in – and this container should be kept separate from the ones that hold standard trash or other sorts of refuse. The containers need to be changed out on a regular basis before they get too full, and everyone on staff needs to know what to do in case someone does get hurt.
Stopping Overflows
Another dilemma when it comes to medical waste is how to prevent potential overflows. Even though normal waste will often overflow, this is at most an unsanitary situation that is easily remedied. But because it’s hard to tell what contaminants or biohazardous waste is contained in the medical garbage, it can be even more unsafe. The first step involves improving communication between different departments within your facility. You will also need to stay in touch with your waste disposal partner.
Overseeing Disposal
As we mentioned before, you must also oversee disposal. Even if the medical waste is being transported offsite, you need to follow up and verify that it has been properly handled. Highly experienced waste disposal partners will know exactly what to do in these situations. They can also provide your team members with further training and will do everything they can to ensure that you stay in compliance with all organizational, state, and federal regulations regarding medical waste.
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No matter what kind of environmental issue you may have, AEG Environmental can help. We handle every situation with care, dedication, and a commitment to exemplary customer service. When you have an emergency, you can rely on us! Need training? We can handle that too! We train in a wide variety of environmental management areas so that your company can remain compliant with EPA, DOT, and OSHA. Make sure to check out our blog for the latest and greatest in the waste management world! You should also follow us on social media for updates.