According to a guide by the world health organization, there are things which you will have to focus on when you are trying to develop a management plan for your hospital waste. Here are what waste management Los Angeles advocates for when it comes to managing hospital waste.
- Handling: It is recommended that those who handle the waste in the hospital bear the sole responsibility of ensuring that the waste is kept tightly contained when they receive it. Over time, awareness of the need for caution and safety amongst the members of staff who handle the waste might decrease which will then increase the possibility of injury or contamination.
All the members of staff who handle waste products need to receive time to time reminders and refresher training which include information on the risks and techniques which are associated with waste handling, procedures to use when dealing with spillages and other accidents and instructions on how to utilize protective clothes. To add to that, all the members of staff require to demonstrate procedures for proper waste handling to confirm their compliance.
- Storage: When it comes to storage, you will need to designate specific temporal waste storage spaces within the hospital. During the construction of the facility, such plans need to be included. The area has to be enclosed and at the same time, separated from food preparation and supply areas.
The waste needs to be divided into different fractions which should be determined by potential disposal and hazard routes. The handler has the responsibility of segregating the waste. When the waste is stored, it has to be monitored closely and be removed as soon as possible. There will be a need for all waste containers to be labeled clearly and the hazardous and nonhazardous waste not to be mixed at all. For more information do check out TechWaste Recycling Orange County.
- Treatment: More and more hospitals are turning to the treatment of waste as an alternative when it comes to incineration as it is able to harbor the dangers of chemical exposures. The technology treatment has to be made in line with a clear knowledge that the waste will be managed and the goal to be achieved through treatment. If you want a technology that is environmentally friendly which is a growing concern amongst several health care providers, there will be a need for you to get treatment which will not have to create other hazardous by-products in the process.
Procedures for treating hazardous components in health care waste especially the sharp, pathological and infectious ones are: chemical, thermal, irradiation, mechanical and biological.
- Transport: When it comes to transporting hazardous medical waste, you need to comply with national regulations, and if it were to be shipped across an international frontier for treatment, then you have to comply with international agreements. Just like with the storage, nonhazardous and hazardous waste needs to be transported separately. Those who are driving the vehicles which are transporting the hospital waste need to have training regarding waste classification, regulations, and risks, documentation and labeling, emergency and safe handling procedures.