Handling Medical Waste Disposals in a Right Manner

When you are working in healthcare units millions of sharps including needles, syringes, blunted needles, and blades are being used by healthcare workers. Have you ever imagined where they go after utilization? The answer to this is there is a waste handling management team that manages the wastes disposal. Some medical waste is disposed of through autoclave and some sharps used in chemotherapy are disposed of through incineration.  

Handling sharps is somewhat hazardous and should be carefully handled. The improper disposing of sharps can cause accidental needle pricks which may cause serious infections and life-threatening diseases. Sharp handling takes place in 2 levels. Firstly, As far as the needles and other sharps are being used they should be thrown in a medical sharps container immediately after use as ultimately it reduces the risk of needle sticks. Secondly, the sharps waste disposal should be disposed to collection sites where waste handlers pick the sharp wastes and autoclave them for safety purposes.

Some Stages involved in Medical Waste Disposal

·    Collection and Segregation Process: The biomedical waste is collected from the healthcare units in containers. Sharp wastes include used needles, syringes, broken glass, razors, blades, and staples that are put in red container bins. They are highly infectious and should never be touched with bare hands. Touching with bare hands can cause punctures and needle pricks on the skin. It can lead to serious infectious diseases which may be life-threatening. After the waste is collected it is then segregated with proper color labeling on plastic bags.

    Storing and Transportation Process: The collected sharp waste is stored in a secured area that is inaccessible to the general public. From the dump area, the waste is transported through special vehicles. Cytotoxic wastes should be stored separately in a designated location while radioactive wastes should be stored in containers that prevent dispersion. The equipment carrying biomedical waste should be cleaned and disinfected periodically to prevent the transmission of infection. 

·     Treatment and Disposal of Wastes: Biomedical waste can be treated and disposed of in many ways. The first method involves Incineration where biomedical waste is converted to ash by using a high-temperature thermal process. The second method involves autoclaving of sharp wastes, microbiology laboratory wastes, and human body fluids. It works on the principle where steam decontaminates the biomedical waste. The third method involves chemical decontamination that uses biochemical enzymes to destroy organic matter of wastes. These were the possible ways to dispose of the wastes.

      Summing Up

Handling sharps in healthcare units is considered one of the most dangerous tasks. Sharps can cause the risk of punctures and pricks which can lead to infectious diseases. Containers carrying sharps should be puncture-resistant so that sharps are unable to come out. For safety purposes, sharps waste disposal should be done in a specialized containment zone that is inaccessible to the general public.

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