Medical Waste Guidance and Interpretation in Michigan

Medical Waste Guidance and Interpretation in Michigan

Medical Waste Guidance and Interpretation. Michigan has a Medical Waste Regulatory Program referred to as MWRP. The main objectives of this program are to protect the public and healthcare workers from the risk of infectious diseases contracted from improper disposal of potentially infectious diseases.

Medical Waste Guidance and Interpretation in Michigan. Along with protecting human life, the MWRP is also focused on protecting Michigan’s environment from degradation and pollution from improper disposal of medical industry derived plastics, sharps, and contaminants.

A medical waste producing facility in Michigan means a facility that generates, stores, decontaminates, or incinerates medical waste. All the listed facilities below fall under Michigan’s definition of a Medical Waste Producing Facility.

1. Physician’s offices, dental practices, podiatry offices, veterinary practices
2. Mortuaries
3. Nursing homes
4. Hospitals
5. Tattoo/body art facilities
6. Pharmacies
7. Any other facility that stores, generates, decontaminates, or incinerates medical waste

Michigan Medical Waste Categories Defined

• Cultures and stocks of infectious agents and associated biologicals, including laboratory waste, biological production wastes, discarded live and attenuated vaccines, culture dishes, and related devices.
• Liquid human and animal waste, including blood and blood products and body fluids, but not including urine or materials stained with blood or body fluids.
• Pathological waste, which includes human organs, tissues, body parts other than teeth, products of conception, and fluids removed by trauma or during surgery or autopsy or other medical procedure and not fixed in formaldehyde.
• Pathological waste excludes fetuses, fetal remains, etc. of a predetermined gestational age.
• Fetuses, fetal remains, etc. were excluded from the definition of pathological waste through a legislative change in the Medical Waste Regulatory Act.
• Blood and body fluids are further defined under the medical waste rules.
• Items ‘stained with blood or body fluids’ mean a contaminated item that cannot release blood or body fluids in a liquid or semi-liquid state when compressed or caked and dried blood or body fluids are not capable of being released when handled, making it an unregulated waste.
• Sharps includes needles, syringes, scalpels, and intravenous tubing with needles attached.
• MIOSHA Blood Borne Infectious Diseases Standard (Part 554) requires the following to be treated as sharps in accordance with the MWRA:
• Broken glass
• Broken capillary tubes
• Exposed Ends of dental wires
• Contaminated wastes from animals that have been exposed to agents infectious to humans, these being primarily research animals’ outbreaks of CDC level III and Level IV pathogens under federal jurisdiction
• Bacillus anthracis, Lassa virus, Ebola, and West Nile are examples of outbreaks requiring EPA, CDC, or DOT-issued directives on disposal
• Does not include medications
• When medications are mixed with medical waste, they must be managed to meet both the hazardous waste, liquid industrial by-product or solid waste regulations that apply as well as the medical waste regulations.
• Pharmaceuticals should not be mixed with medical waste as it results in improper disposal if the mixed or dual waste is not handled to meet both the environmental and public health code regulations that apply.

Medical Waste Producer Requirements

• Certificate of Registration
• Medical Waste Management Plan
• Employee training records
• Proper packaging
• Storage no longer than 90 days
• Shipment records

Medical Waste Producer Registration

• Facilities that produce any volume of medical waste must register as a medical waste producer under the public health code
• Registrations require renewal every three year
• Renewal applications are sent to facilities automatically
• Registration fees vary between $50 to $150 depending upon the facility type
• Initial application and renewal can be completed and paid on-line
• Go to www.michigan.gov/deqmedwaste
• Select “Registration and Fee Payment Portal”

Medical Waste Management Plan

• Required of all medical waste producing facilities
• Must list and describe the type(s) of medical waste produced by the facility and method(s) of packaging, storage, treatment, and disposal used for each medical waste type.
• Sample plan is available at www.michigan.gov/deqmedwaste
• Employee training & Records
• PPE and universal precautions must be practiced preventing risk of infection and exposure
• Record of training for all employees handling medical waste at the facility required
• Must be documented in accordance with the Medical Waste Management Plan and made available for at least 3 years

Proper Packaging

• Medical waste must be collected separate from other wastes
• Containers must be rigid, puncture-proof, leak-proof, and labeled with a biohazard symbol
• Medical waste may be stored at a producing facility no longer than 90 days (sharps included)
• Period begins on the date when the container use is initiated
• Shipment Records
• Shipping records documenting medical waste is removed from the facility at least every 90 days
• Minimum of 3 years of records must be maintained

Employee Training & Records

• PPE and universal precautions must be practiced preventing risk of infection and exposure
• Record of training for all employees handling medical waste at the facility required
• Must be documented in accordance with the Medical Waste Management Plan and made available for at least 3 years

Proper Packaging

• Medical waste must be collected separate from other wastes
• Containers must be rigid, puncture-proof, leak-proof, and labeled with a biohazard symbol
• Medical waste may be stored at a producing facility no longer than 90 days (sharps included)
• Period begins on the date when the container use is initiated
• Shipment Records
• Shipping records documenting medical waste is removed from the facility at least every 90 days
• Minimum of 3 years of records must be maintained

Shipment Records

• Shipping records documenting medical waste is removed from the facility at least every 90 days
• Minimum of 3 years of records must be maintained