All businesses have a duty of care to provide a safe and clean work environment for their employees, customers and visitors. Many workplaces can reduce this risk by abiding to Safe Work Australia regulations.
Medical waste in particular is considered a biohazard, referred to any waste that is generated at health care facilities during a diagnosis, treatment or immunization of humans or animals. This includes discarded blood, sharp objects, human or animal tissue, discarded gloves, surgical tools, medical supplies, body parts, used bandages and dressings.
There are basic ideas or suggestions that can help you maintain a risk-free workplace environment for your business.
Identify Waste
Firstly, you must practice the act of identifying the type of waste you are handling. An incorrect mixture of wastes can result in associated environmental impacts such as greenhouse gas emissions, pollution and litters, as well as social issues, including the spreading of unpleasant odors.
Medical wastes is identified and divided into four categories including:
Infectious wastes – blood, skin, organs, swabs, body parts, bloody bandages, discarded surgical gloves
Hazardous wastes – needles, sharps, scalpels
General wastes – plastic, paper, liquids,
Radioactive wastes – medical equipment that uses radioactive isotypes, cancer treatment & waste generated from nuclear medical treatments,
Bin Assortment
Like the different categories of medical wastes, there is also an extensive range of waste and recycling bins and containers. All medical bins and containers are labelled and color coordinated with appropriate recycling signage to install effective solutions that help reduce high-risk work environments.
It is also important to consider the most appropriate size of the bin and container that is needed for your business. This ensures that you are not wasting money to simple issues such as incorrect bin and container sizes.
Secure Storage
Make sure that everything goes into their appropriately labelled container because anything that touches medical waste becomes medical waste itself.
Appropriate sealing procedures must be followed by simply reading the visible procedures, which are either placed on or beside the bins or containers. If there are no visible procedures, an idea would be to research and contact professionals who can provide this.
Gather, Twist & Tie
Simply wear safety gloves to gather the medical wastes from the bins and containers, twist the bin bags to seal its contents, and tie a strong twist knot to prevent any leakage. You can also tape the bags and containers ensuring further seal.
If you have any questions regarding the packaging and disposal of medical wastes, please don’t hesitate to contact us at 1300 729 922.
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