Manage Medical Waste

California Medical Waste Management

Apr 25, 2018

The state of California implemented the Medical Waste Management Program as part of the Environmental Management Branch. This is to protect the public and the environment from potentially infectious disease. This agency regulates the handling, generation, storage, treatment, and disposal of medical waste providing oversight for the implementation of the Medical Waste Management Act.

California’s medical waste management and Los Angeles medical waste disposal health and safety code is lengthy and very detailed compared to other states. The latest document per the Medical Waste Management Act is 59 pages. It covers everything from definitions of medical waste to powers and duties, permits, treatment and storage, and enforcement.

Possibly the most interesting part of the Medical Waste Management Act is its thorough regulations on trauma waste management. It is a rather particular event that not many other states cover, at least not explicitly in documents. This is any event that deals with the removal of human blood, human body fluids, and other associated residues from the scene of a serious human illness, injury, or death. A trauma scene waste management practitioner must register with the department. Registered trauma scene waste management practitioners must pay an every year fee of two hundred dollars ($200) to the unit for deposit in a common fund used for this specific chapter.

Other highlights from California’s Medical Waste Management Act comprise:

Medical waste must be stored in an area that is either locked or under direct supervision or investigation.
Sharps containers shall not be stored for more than thirty days without the written support of the enforcement agency.
Acceptable actions for medical waste include incineration and autoclave.
Pathology waste of a human nature must be disposed of by interment, incineration, or alternative treatment technologies.
Pharmaceutical waste must be preserved by incineration or alternative treatment technologies approved.

The Medical Waste Management Program of California administers a number of local jurisdictions. The state’s enforcement policies are extremely stringent. We can see it starting with hefty fines and ending in jail time for repeated violations.

Call us if you’re in a field that generates medical waste, you need to be aware of all federal and state medical waste regulations.

4 TYPES OF DENTAL WASTE THAT NEED BIOMEDICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT

Jan 31, 2018

A dental office is an active place. Patients are going in and out of exam rooms. Dentists, hygienists, and assistants are moving throughout. This ‘hustle -rustle’ can pose a problem for many dental offices when planning proper medical waste management. For example, in order to organize an easy going disposal, containers need to be close by while also out of the reach of patients, especially children.

Here are the four most common types of biomedical waste in a dental practice.

Learn how Glycon biomedical waste company can help with biomedical waste management solutions.

Sharps

As all of us know many people are very much afraid of going to the dentist due to their fear of needles. Sharps are used on a regular basis in dental offices for a variety of reasons. Many times needles are used for local anesthetic purposes or to draw blood from a patient who may be undergoing oral surgery.

In order to avoid potential risks in connection with sharps, they should always be placed in a clearly labeled sharps container. Glycon provides red bio-hazard puncture resistant and leak proof sharps containers. It helps to keep your staff safe, and also prevents accidents, protects your patients, and helps make the overall medical waste pickup and removal without any difficulties.

Blood Soaked Products

There are many dental treatments resulting in blood soaked products such as gauze. Blood soaked gauze is a bio-hazardous material that may also be considered a blood-borne pathological waste product. In either cases, blood soaked products should be thrown away in a specially determined place such as leak proof and puncture resistant red bio-hazard bag or a clearly marked biohazard container.
Taking into consideration the volume of your business activity Glycon will surely help you decide what size red waste bags and containers you will need. This will help your practice stay compliant and save money for a very long period of time.

Mercury Amalgams, Silver Waste, Lead Waste

As mercury amalgams contain mercury, they must never be thrown in the trash, down the drain, or in a red medical waste container. Actually, there exist specific regulations surrounding the disposal of this highly toxic element such as using amalgam separators to catch as much mercury as possible.
Besides mercury, there are some dental practices which have to worry about silver waste. In case if your practice hasn’t been able to upgrade to digital x-ray technology, then chances are high that silver fixer is still being used. Silver fixer should never be washed down the drain. Silver waste product can be collected and disposed of by a professional biomedical waste company such as Glycon.

Chemicals And Sterilization Products

Most of the chemicals and sterilization products used in facilities such as dentist offices can be harmful to the environment, your staff, and your patients. As some chemicals are hazardous, try to learn as much as possible and follow all federal guidelines and regulations. In case of having questions concerning to the types of chemicals which you use in your practice and to finding our how to dispose of them properly, don’t waste your time, hurry to call Glycon. Our professional team is here to help when you need it.

Let Glycon Create Biomedical Waste Solutions For Your Practice

Glycon specializes in Los Angeles medical waste disposal but we service all of Southern and Central CA. Whether you are a dental or doctors office in Southern we can assist you in drawing up a biomedical waste plan that will save you time, money, and a little sanity when dealing with state and federal regulated medical waste disposal.