Waste management sop v1 reviewed 27 07 15 dm

e

Infection Prevention and Control

Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)

Sa

m

pl

Waste Management

Choosing an appropriate waste container: The type of container to be used for the storage/disposal of waste will depend on the category and nature of the waste to be contained.

Health Care Waste Segregation Poster COLOUR

e

Waste which requires disposal by incineration Indicative treatment/disposal required is incineration in a suitably permitted or licensed Facility

Orange

Anatomical waste for incineration Indicative treatment/disposal required is incineration in a suitably permitted facility

Sa

Red

Offensive/hygiene waste Indicative treatment/disposal required is (deep) landfill or municipal incineration/energy from waste at a suitably permitted or licensed facility

m

Purple

Waste which may be “treated” Indicative treatment/disposal required is for waste to be “rendered safe” in a suitably permitted or licensed facility, usually an alternative treatment plant (ATP)However, this waste may also be disposed of by incineration Cytotoxic and cytostatic waste Indicative treatment/disposal required is incineration in a suitably permitted or licensed facility

pl

Yellow

Yellow and Black

DESCRIPTION

Black

Blue

White

Client: Start date: End date: 6 of 10 - Sharps Management

Domestic (municipal) waste Minimum treatment/disposal required is landfill, municipal incineration/energy from waste or other municipal waste treatment process at a suitably permitted or licensed facility.Recyclable components should be removed through segregation.

Clear/opaque receptacles may also be used for domestic waste Medicinal waste for incineration Indicative treatment/disposal required is incineration in a suitably permitted facility.

Amalgam waste Used in dentistry – an alloy of mercury with various metals used for dental fillings For recovery/recycling.

Safe handling of waste: Safe systems of work should always be employed by staff handling or disposing of waste.

It is important that the potential of waste to cause injury and to result in the transmission of infection is known to all through training and written policies.

Sharps waste is a particularly high risk category of waste and should be handled with extreme caution. It is classed as hazardous waste.

e

The term ‘sharp’ can be applied to many items in the health and care setting that have the potential to break skin and puncture including needles, ampoules, , vials, scalpels, blades, surgical instruments, teeth and bone.

pl

In a health and care setting sharps can often be contaminated as a result of their use, for example blood stained scalpels and surgical instruments.

Contaminated sharps waste poses the biggest risk in terms of transmission of infection with blood borne viruses such as Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C and HIV.

m

Safe waste handling practices

Staff should be trained in waste handling and management relevant to their role Staff should be trained in hand hygiene and personal protective equipment use

Sa

Staff should be appropriately immunised to prevent transmission of infection from waste especially sharps waste Staff should know about correct segregation and should dispose of items into the correct waste stream Staff should be provided with segregation and disposal

appropriate waste containers to ensure correct

Staff collecting and disposing of waste should be aware of the requirement to label waste appropriately There should be provision of suitable waste transport on-site and (if relevant) off-site There should be clear procedures for accidents, incidents and spillages

Client: Start date: End date: 7 of 10 - Sharps Management

STAFF PROTECTION When handling health care or hazardous waste staff should always wear appropriate protective clothing i.e. apron/overalls and gloves.

When such waste handling is complete, protective clothing must be disposed of in to the health care waste stream.

Hands must be thoroughly washed and dried after protective clothing has been removed.

e

All staff handling health care waste should be offered relevant vaccinations according to their role.. All staff must be aware of the policy for prevention of exposure to blood-borne viruses and take appropriate action after an incident.

Action

pl

Management of a spillage of healthcare waste

To minimise any risk of injury or infection from health care waste To ensure that only those who have received training deal with healthcare waste

m

All spillage must be regarded as potentially hazardous and dealt with immediately Under no circumstances should service users or members of the public be allowed to assist, or be involved in any way in the clearing or cleaning up of the spillage When dealing with spillage, protective clothing (gloves and plastic apron) must be worn

Rationale

Sa

To minimise any risk to the public To reduce potential for the contamination of health care workers or their clothing as a result of contact with health care waste If dealing with a broken or split bag, re-bag the To reduce the risk of any contact with health contents and ensure that the area is free of care waste waste If sharps are present, puncture proof To minimise any potential for sharps injury gloves/gauntlets must be worn. A pair should be available in all areas where health care waste is handled If the area has been contaminated with blood To reduce potential for contamination of the or body fluids clean the area well with a environment by health care waste solution of detergent and warm water, followed by a chlorine-based disinfectant. (See SOP – Spillages of Blood and Body Fluids) After managing any spillage always thoroughly To minimise risk of contamination / wash and dry hands acquisition of infection from health care waste Spillages of health care / hazardous waste To identify failures in systems / processes in should be reported using the organisation’s relation to health care waste and to ensure incident reporting processes with an such failures are addressed and not investigation being undertaken to identify risks permitted to reoccur and allow risk reduction actions to be implemented Client: Start date: End date: 9 of 10 - Sharps Management