Working o partnering with a healthcare facility is hard work. Not only do you have to deal with patients and their ailments but you also have to ensure sanitization and cleanliness of the entire facility. One of the most significant challenges that you are likely to face day in and day out is getting rid of hospital waste without violating the regulations. Complying with the safety standards is essential. Any kind of violations will be economically disturbing whereas the reputation of your clinic or facility would come under fire too.
It would certainly help to engage a competent waste disposal professional to do the needful. Here would be fewer chances of violations or non-compliance that way. Besides, a professional company that has years of experience in waste management would be able to do it without involving you now and then. It is the best way to keep your clinic or the medical facility operational with no complaints being voiced about the spread of infections and other related risks.
Effective disposal of medical wastes must include the following the mentioned steps perfectly:
Collection & Segregation– The best teams make sure to collect the wastes right at the point of generation. This helps to prevent spillage and cross-contamination to a great extent. The wastes are not always similar though and cannot be clubbed together or thrown into the same container. The provider will segregate the items category-wise and then discarded them according to the norms.
Containers– The pathogen-infested medical wastes must be discarded according to safety standards. You must place different types of wastes into the right container that is sure to be color-coded. Containers that are advised to be used for holding specific types of wastes are:
- Red containers displaying the biohazard sign in front should be used to contain infections wastes such as spilled blood and bodily fluids
- Red-colored, closed containers are meant to hold sharp objects used within the hospital. These are shatterproof and will not be punctured by any of the sharp objects inside
- Yellow containers are used for chemotherapy-induced trace wastes
- Black containers hold potentially hazardous substances such as toxic chemicals, infectious matter, and pathology wastes as per the RCRA advice
- Blue containers are specified for pharmaceutical wastes
- Radioactive wastes go into a bright yellow container with a radioactive symbol visible clearly
Treatment– Not all medical wastes are the same as the contaminants have different properties and can affect humans in a variety of ways. Segregations of the wastes are important as is its treatment before final disposal. You may be able to get rid of the pathogens via Incineration, autoclaving, or chemical/biological treatments. Liquid wastes are usually subjected to decontamination with chemicals and then disposed of locally. The other types of medical wastes are decontaminated properly before being transported to the landfill and disposed of there.
Hospital waste management is a technique that should not be overlooked ever. Noncompliance can result in expensive penalties and loss of reputation for your facility. Be sure to hire a professional for proper disposal of hospital-generated waste and achieve peace of mind.