Before we discussed why medical facilities use red bags for bio-hazardous waste. Red bags are one of the allowed means for control of medical waste. What goes in them is not the same as what goes in a sharps container or other medical waste bins. It is also known as regulated medical waste and bio-hazardous waste. Red bag waste is bio-hazardous, or waste that is hypothetically infectious.
What Goes In That Red Bag?
Red bag waste has had contact with a probable infectious agent and must be disposed of in a red bio-hazard waste bag. This embraces:
- gauze
- table paper
- objects containing dried blood or other fluids
- blood soaked items
- bandages
- gloves, gowns, intravenous bags
- personal protective equipment
- soft plastic items
- specimen cups
Red bag cannot go into the regular trash when it is ready for disposal.
A waste management company that specializes in regulated medical waste will take the waste off site and destroy the potential for damage from it. This waste is contaminated by potentially infectious materials, it needs to be destroyed through an autoclave. All regulated medical waste is placed inside for about one hour to destroy any harmful materials. An autoclave is like an oven that is to about 300 degrees.
After, the waste is ready to go to a landfill. This type of waste is sent to an incinerator in other cases.
OSHA, it is the employer’s responsibility to determine the existence of medical waste, and to ensure that it is using proper packaging, such as red bags for bio-hazardous waste.
Contact us for more information about what constitutes this kind of waste, how to properly dispose of it, or how to select a reputable medical waste disposal company.