Medical waste disposal is a process that includes many necessary steps to avoid the 10 common medical waste violations facilities make. However, in the process, healthcare facilities lose track and omit some of these steps, which lands them on the wrong side of regulations set by the federal and state regulators.

Breaching the health standards will have a negative impact on a healthcare facility, hospitals and clinics. 

Here are the 10 most common medical waste violations found in the healthcare industry:

1. Incorrect Container Labeling

One must be very careful about the labeling medical waste disposal in containers, healthcare facilities because incorrect labeling on a container can actually be very risky and is considered one of the riskiest medical waste breach. Usage of not properly chosen color bags, failure to add date of manufacturing and expiry, lack of alertness, all  these are under this category.

2. Incorrect Container Management

Many healthcare institutions make a mistake when overlooking the proper management and consideration that should be given to containers before they are disposed off. Many facilities at some point erroneously put already used needles, or sharp items in containers that are neither leak proof nor tamper proof. This is a serious violation of health standards.

3. Little to No Employee Training

The employees, who get improper  training by healthcare institutions generally violate health standards just by doing that. It is important to train employees and to teach  how to handle waste management; If no, they will do what they please as they please.

4. Emergency Contingency Plans

Healthcare facilities must by all means have an emergency plan that trains and prepares them for unexpected incidents that could take place in any minute. These plans are not only for  patient, of course. They can be for accidental spills, loss of biomedical material, etc. If it is not succeeded to  provide a specific emergency contingency plan that means it is a serious violation of medical waste laws.

5. Fire Prevention

It doesn’t matter whether  this area is listed in an emergency contingency plan, it is still considered one of the common breaches of  medical waste that are found in healthcare. Preventive  fire hazards, or if the biomedical waste caught fire, the healthcare should have alternate ready at hand.

6. Proper Division

In case if you do no manage to  properly divide the waste into separate compartments, while labeling each and every item is a crucial breach. It is risky to divide medical waste and unpolluted waste.

7. Wrong Items Piled in Medical Waste

If the material is not divided and such items as solvents, paint thinner, batteries, formaldehyde products, etc., are detected in the medical waste division, it means that medical standards have been violated.

8. Transportation

A great attention must be paid  to the list of regulations which concern to the method by which the waste is disposed. Inattentiveness  in the way that waste is conveyed is considered as a diversity of Medical Waste Violations.

9. Transportation of Large Amounts

A permission is required from the state supervisor for conveying large amounts of waste from one place to another. If you do not follow this step, it will be regarded as a violation. Anything above 50 pounds requires a permission and authorization.

10. Unhygienic Transportation

The  healthcare facility must  clean and disinfect the areas before and after the waste is transported from one location to another,

Glycon Medical Waste makes waste management easy for the Healthcare Industry by offering Medical Waste Disposal, Hazardous Waste Disposal, Medical Waste Pickup Services and Recycling needs. Glycon Medical Waste offers full service waste management specifically planned to serve to the California Healthcare Industry. Regardless of the fact whether your facility is big or small, you are able to take part in waste management programs provided by Glycon Medical Waste Services. We pride ourselves in providing the highest level of customer service and regulatory compliance.