Medical Waste and its Disposal

Medical Waste and its Disposal

Medical Waste and its Disposal. When you or I visit a healthcare provider, the waste generated is called healthcare waste. On average this waste isn’t any different than your normal household waste. However, 15%-25% of this waste is considered, hazardous, biohazardous, infectious or OPIM (other potentially infectious material. However, the waste is classified, 15%-25% of it poses a risk to people, animals, and the environment per NCBI. 

When it comes to medical waste there two critical factors that pose the greatest risk, they are,

1. Needle Sticks – According to the CDC “Healthcare personnel who use or may be exposed to needles are at increased risk of needlestick injury. Needlestick injuries can lead to serious or fatal infections with bloodborne pathogens such as hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, or HIV.”
2. Exposure to Pathogens – As potentially infectious agents continue to increase in the healthcare setting so does the risk to the healthcare worker. As stated on PubMed

To help prevent needle sticks and accidental exposure to dangerous pathogens proper training and personal protective equipment must be utilized. Here at Healthcare Waste Management, we have a dedicated online training portal that will keep your staff educated and up to date with the latest safety methods.

Medical waste is generated at the time of treatment whether it is from a preventive flu shot, a blood draw to perform a test, or cleaning and dressing a wound, medical waste is usually created during the treatment or diagnosis of a person or animal. This is the time that the healthcare worker is most at risk and precautions must be taken.

Once the medical waste is generated it is placed into the proper container, a sharps container or biohazard bag, box, or colored bin (depending on the waste classification) to be disposed of.

From there, once the container is filled to the full mark it is taken to a properly marked storage location. Most states have a limit on how long medical waste can be stored before it must be removed for destruction. If you have any questions on your specific state laws, you can contact Healthcare Waste Management and we will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Healthcare Waste Management provides medical waste disposal services and secure shredding services to 10 states in the Midwest including Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio.

Benefits of using Healthcare Waste Management Services. We provide biohazard waste disposal, sharps container disposal, compliance training including, bloodborne pathogens certificates, and HIPAA training.

With Healthcare Waste Management, we own the trucks that will be coming to your location, I know you may be thinking doesn’t everyone? Well, no, that is not always the case, in some instances you will contract with one company only to find out another company is servicing your account.

At Healthcare Waste Management we own the trucks, we employ the drivers, we provide the training, and we own the processing plants that render your medical waste harmless. Only one call and you can speak to whoever you need to contact us today at 888-427-5797 for a hassle-free quote.