Safety & Compliance: What Your Facility Needs to Know

Biohazardous waste, also called infectious waste, encompasses blood, body fluids, human cell lines and more. This category of medical waste is defined as any waste that is contaminated with potentially infectious agents or other materials that are deemed a threat to public health or the environment. It usually includes items such as blood soaked bandages, used needles and other items that could spread disease by coming in contact with broken skin or mucous membranes. Whether a small or large organization, if your facility generates this type of waste, it’s critical that you understand how to store, manage and dispose of it properly to remain in compliance.

Safe storage & handling

One of the most important considerations is to be sure that you’re storing biohazardous waste properly and safely to avoid accidental exposure to your staff, patients and anyone who visits your organization. Items that fall under the biohazardous waste category must be stored separately from other types of waste, these include:

• Needles
• Glass pipettes
• Scalpels
• Blades
• Empty vials
• IV tubing
• Sharps
• Blood soaked gauze
• Blood soaked bandages
• Gloves, masks & PPE that is soaked or saturated with blood or bodily fluids

Sharps collection & storage

All organizations, including piercing and tattoo shops, medspas and of course healthcare facilities, must collect and store sharps in an approved sharps container. In addition, these containers must be regularly emptied and picked up by licensed medical waste disposal companies. It’s imperative not to overfill sharps containers as this is where accidental pricks can occur, which in turn put people at risk for exposure to infectious diseases.

Red Biohazardous bags

Other biohazardous waste can be stored in red bags that are specifically designed to collect this type of waste. Your medical waste disposal provider should provide red bags for your facility.  These bags are placed inside a sturdy waste container and are marked with the biohazard symbol. Biohazardous waste that does not fall into the sharps category should be collected in red bags.

All Points Medical Waste can provide you with all you need to collect, store and dispose of biohazardous waste. We are a full-service medical waste disposal company located in Stuart, Florida and serving South Florida businesses from Okeechobee County all the way to Broward County. Our team provides safe, compliant medical waste disposal to health care facilities, veterinarians, dental practices, treatment and diagnostic centers, tattoo and piercing shops, medspas and more. Give us a call today or fill out the form on the contact page to learn more.