Proper disposal of medical waste is an essential part of making sure your business is running in accordance with industry and government requirements. You need to make sure your company meets all requirements for disposing of everything from scalpels to used syringes to culture dishes, or your employees and anyone else in your building could be at tremendous risk of getting contaminated with a blood-borne pathogen or worse. At Preferred Waste Concepts, we can help make sure you’re using medical waste containers that will help to prevent such accidents.
While most businesses will use them to ensure they meet OSHA standards, you might not be sure why you need them. Read our guide below to learn more about what medical waste continuers are for and what they can prevent.
Prevent needle sticks
Hundreds of thousands of health care workers accidentally stick themselves with a needle each year. The chances of getting infected with a disease like HIV are incredibly low, but it still happens periodically. Needle sticks can happen with syringes or suture needles that haven’t been properly disposed of in a sharps container or simply by not being careful enough when handling the needles. You can do your part by ensuring your employees have a safe sharps container to dispose of used needles.
Prevents biohazard contamination
Biohazard waste can be found everywhere in the medical field. With bloody gauze and other materials that have been used to clean up bodily fluids, you need to ensure they’re properly disposed of. Biohazard waste is considered to be a threat to public health or the environment because it can be the source of infectious disease that spreads throughout your building or even to the community.
Prevent disease exposure
In addition to avoiding exposure to blood-borne pathogens, clinics that keep live cultures in culture dishes need to ensure they’re not casually disposing of them. A medical waste company can follow proper protocols to prevent outbreaks of infectious diseases or other disease-causing pathogens.
Prevents exposure to chemotherapy agents
When most people think of chemotherapy agents, the first thing that comes to mind is cancer treatment. However, health care professionals understand it’s more than that. Many other chemotherapy agents are used to help treat patients with hair loss, miscarriages, and more. Whether they’re pills or liquids, they require a proper container to reduce the risk of pregnant women being exposed to them and others at risk.
In addition to traditional chemotherapy agents, nuclear medicine products must be disposed of according to standards set by OSHA and the FDA.
Prevents accidental injury
In addition to needle sticks, there are plenty of opportunities for health care workers or patients to be injured on used materials. While much of the industry has changed over to plastic containers, there are still products that are best when put in a glass container. It’s not uncommon to have glass ampules that have sharp edges after they’ve been used. Moreover, used scalpels, scissors, and razor blades pose a significant injury threat to anyone handling medical waste.
Contact us for help
Keep your employees and everyone else who enters your building safe from exposure to biohazard waste by using the appropriate medical waste containers. Get in touch with us at Preferred Waste Concepts, and we can help to ensure that you’re in compliance with the appropriate containers for your business and train your employees on proper usage. You can reach out by filling out our online contact form or calling 314-413-7500.
We’re here to help keep your employees safe with proper waste management techniques.