3 Helpful Medical Waste Disposal Tips For Healthcare Facility Managers
ShareIf you manage a healthcare facility, a major responsibility you have is disposing of medical waste. You have to exercise extreme caution when doing so, because otherwise people could get hurt. Ensure this doesn't happen around your facility by observing these medical waste disposal tips.
Provide Proper Training
Good medical waste disposal starts with properly training your healthcare staff, as they are the professionals that come in contact with this waste material on a daily basis. There are plenty of online courses your staff can complete, certifying they know the correct protocol and procedures when it comes to such sensitive materials.
Throughout these courses, your staff will learn all kinds of helpful information. For example, they'll become fully aware of the in-depth guidelines set forth by OSHA. Best of all, these courses can be completed from the comfort of home as long as your employees have access to the internet.
Separate Pharmaceuticals
It's essential that you keep pharmaceuticals separate from other medical waste, because they are not created equal. Pharmaceuticals have their own unique disposal protocol that you need to follow exactly as stated. The reason this separation is so vital is because pharmaceuticals, when treated as medical waste, end up in landfills and can then enter water systems. This would be disastrous for society.
If you're worried about mixing these medicines with other waste, you can always use a destruction program. As soon as the pharmaceuticals are not needed, simply send them off to these destruction companies and they'll handle everything.
Leave it to the Professionals
No matter how much experience you think you have regarding medical waste, mistakes are always possible. They won't occur as often when you let a professional disposal company take care of your waste, however.
These companies will put all of your waste into designated red containers -- which indicate that hazardous contents are inside. Such an organized approach ensures waste doesn't end up at the wrong place and affect thousands of individuals. Additionally, these companies can remove a wide variety of waste from your healthcare facility, such as wipes, gloves, syringes, bandages, paper towels, and other sharp objects.
In the medical field, it's absolutely critical to handle medical waste with extreme care. For your healthcare facility, you can do just that by following strict protocols and using professional services when the time is right. Then, you won't have to worry about causing harm or dealing with expensive lawsuits. For more information, contact a company like Advanced Biosolutions LLC.