Medical wastes include various categories of waste, and one of them is medical objects contaminated with bodily fluids. These materials are biohazardous waste and can pose a serious risk to living beings and the environment.   In the US, the local and state regulations mandate the safe management and disposal of these waste items.  A few common questions are “Whether all bodily fluids are considered medical waste,” or “All bodily fluids can be infectious?”    Why Bodily Fluids Pose Serious Health Risk?   A human body can produce as many as eleven bodily ..read more

Tonnes of medical waste that get dumped in the US healthcare facilities carry serious health risks to humans, animals, and the environment. This is why efficiently managing and disposing of medical waste is a top priority for state and federal governments.   Hospitals and nursing homes produce nearly 2 pounds of biohazard waste per bed every day. To prevent the possibility of spreading diseases and keeping the risk of infection minimal, safe medical waste management is crucial for any health facility.  Whether your healthcare facility is a small medical clinic, surgery or treat ..read more

Improper management of hazardous waste may pose a serious threat to humans, animals, and the environment.   Considering the harmful effects of hazardous waste on humans and the environment, the US Congress passed the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) in 1976 to be regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency. Its purpose was to set up a framework for proper hazardous waste management.   The Definition of Hazardous Waste  Hazardous waste is a category of waste that can affect human health in a non-infectious way.   According to the EPA, hazard ..read more

The news of a potential inspection from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) at your healthcare facility can give you some nervous moments.   During a visit, an OSHA inspector will evaluate the safety conditions at your facility and try to detect possible violations that may result in significant financial penalties or other punitive measures.  Most hospitals or other healthcare facilities feel the stress during the inspection, and it may even disrupt the day’s activities. However, if your healthcare organization and staff do the basics right, including main ..read more

An estimated 16 billion medical items are used worldwide, but not all those wastes are properly disposed of later, a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) reveals. The WHO report also specifies that about 85 percent of the medical wastes are non-hazardous by nature. Although, only the remaining 15 percent medical waste is toxic, hazardous, or infectious, it does not give much relief to the authorities. During the COVID-19, more than 8 billion doses of vaccines were administered that globally produced 144,000 tonnes of extra waste comprising syringes, needles, and other items. S ..read more

Dealing with medical waste is one of the burning issues in the healthcare industry. Hazardous medical waste, including sharps, can be harmful to humans, animals, and the environment if there is any exposure.   Sharps are some of the sharp objects that health professionals use for treating patients, such as hypodermic needles, syringes, lancets, and scalpels. These items can puncture, cut, or stab the skin and should not be thrown in a regular trash bin.  Healthcare authorities must dispose of sharps properly by using a sharps container approved by the US Food and Drug Administr ..read more