Archive for: Waste Management
How do you store, manage, and access your MSDS?
Many workplaces are going paperless with their MSDS, storing them as PDFs or relying on fax-on-demand services. Others are sticking with paper, or are using a combination of electronic and paper files. How does your facility acquire, store, and manage access to your MSDS?
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Ask the expert: Medical waste manifests
Q: How long must our practice keep EPA manifests for medical waste?
New Jersey does its thing for illegal medical waste dumping
Here’s a “Jersey thing” that shouldn’t be limited to just the Garden State.
A bill that would suspend the license of a doctor who illegally dumps medical waste has unanimously passed the New Jersey Assembly, reports the The Star-Ledger, May 9.
Disposing of extra costs in regulated medical waste contracts
Getting down and dirty in knowing your regulated medical waste (RMW) generation and disposal needs is the best way of making sure you’re getting good value for your disposal bucks. Here are some tips from Wes Sonnier, president of BioMedical Waste Solutions in Port Arthur, TX:
Medical Environment Update—Wasting away in regulated medical waste land
Information on what you should know about regulated medical waste (RMW), your contract for services, and how your contractor can help you be in compliance with federal state regulations is the focus of the November issue of Medical Environment Update.
Here is what the feature article covers:
EPA wants public opinion on unused pharmaceutical disposal
EPA is requesting public comments on a draft guidance document titled Best Management Practices for Unused Pharmaceuticals at Health Care Facilities, for the study of unused pharmaceutical disposal at healthcare facilities.
Clinic waste contaminates garbage man
If you’ve ever gagged at having to swallow your pride at work, be thankful that medical waste was not also on the menu.
A story from “down under” graphically illustrates for healthcare facilities the importance of proper disposal of regulated medical and pharmaceutical waste.
Law passed to save Jersey Shore
Don’t get excited, or in an uproar for that matter; the headline does not protect MTV’s reality show of the same name from cancellation. It refers to New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine’s signing into law a measure to toughen the financial penalties against illegal ocean dumping.
Disposing of clear transport bags for medical specimens
Q: If I use a clear bag with a biohazardous waste symbol on it to transport lab specimens, does it need to be treated as regulated medical waste or regular trash? The bag is used as a secondary container for transportation, and are not visibly soiled, but the biohazard symbol is embedded on it.
Fluorescent bulb disposal
Disposal of fluorescent bulbs is regulated by local and state landfill requirements. As an example, here is what the Nebraska state laws requires:
Handling different types of lab waste
Chemical waste must be handled according to the manufacturer’s requirements on the material safety data sheets (MSDS). Hazardous chemical disposal is regulated through state and local governmental agencies. It is important to get proper authorization from these agencies to dispose of the chemicals and utilize licensed lab-packing companies to package and ship the chemical waste for proper disposal.
Regulated waste is placed in containers that are closable and constructed to contain all contents and to prevent fluids from leaking during handling, storage, transport, or shipping. The containers are labeled and closed before removal to prevent the contents from spilling or protruding during handling, storage, transport, or shipping. If outside contamination of the regulated waste container occurs, it is placed in a second container that has the same qualities as the first (e.g., closable, leak-proof) and is handled in the same manner.
Think outside the box when disposing of broken slides
For those of you concerned about how to dispose of contaminated microscope slides, here’s some guidance on what not to do.
A Phoenix veterinary laboratory faces civil penalties totaling $80,000 for routinely disposing of glass microscope slides and cover slips that contained animal tissue specimens into a dumpster, according to NAZ Today.
Arizona law states that slides and cover slips are classified as biohazardous medical sharps, and must be stored in a container that is “rigid, puncture-resistant, leakproof, and fitted with a locking cap.” The container must also be labeled with a biohazardous medical symbol and disposed of at a biohazardous medical waste facility.
