Slumdog needlesticks; no award for this performance
A little off the subject, but here’s a scene reminiscent of “Slumdog Millionaire,” however, the happy Bollywood-type ending is yet to be written, if ever.
Officials from the Bharuch regional office of Gujarat (India) Pollution Control Board are investigating a medical device scrap recovery operation where women and children eke out a living by winnowing contaminated needles and sharps “from the disposable filth,” according to the Times of India, March 3.
One official said he was shocked to see a woman was segregating needles out of a heap of biomedical waste without even the protection of gloves, reports the Times.
So what does this have to do with healthcare worker safety?
I think about reports similar to this one—hardly a day goes by on my Google search alert for “medical waste” without such a story, not only in India, but in other parts of the world—when I hear complaints from readers about excessive and complicated rules for handling and disposing regulated medical and hazardous waste. Their voices betray the temptation for the quick-fix solution even if it means skirting local, state, and federal laws.
No one is suggesting, mind you, that we abandon regulations to the point of arriving at the scenario illustrated above. It’s just that at times it is good to remind ourselves that regulatory activity, even inconvenient ones, are not all bad. Transgressing just once, or worse, operating under the impression that small healthcare facilities have very little impact on the big environmental picture, only adds to what the rest of the world struggles with.
The March issue of Medical Environment Update looks at going green in your practice, so click here for a preview and helpful tips.
Also available for downloading from the Tools page is What You Need To Know about Hazardous Waste in Healthcare Clinics. The document is good for state and federal compliance and from a best practices approach.
If you think I am right on or off the mark on this, let me know in the comment section below.
Did you find this advice helpful? Learn how you can get all your OSHA questions answered by registering for OSHA Healthcare Advisor’s “Q&A Roundtable: Solutions to Your Compliance Challenges” audioconference.
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David LaHoda
David LaHoda, the managing editor of Medical Environment Update and OSHA Watch, has produced healthcare training videos and consulted for medical practices and ambulatory healthcare facilities.
David has written 196 posts.
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