UF Biomedical Waste Training

1. UF Biomedical Waste Training Biological Safety Office Environmental Health & Safety 352-392-1591 www.ehs.ufl.edu bso@ehs.ufl.edu

2. Overview • What is biomedical waste? • Biological vs. biomedical vs. hazardous • Regulations • Identification • Segregation • Handling • Storage • Transport • Treatment • Spills/Disinfection • Spill handling

3. Biological vs. Biomedical Waste • Biological waste - Solid or liquid waste which may present a threat of infection to humans, animals, crops, or natural ecosystem • Animal pathogens • Plant pathogens • Recombinant DNA organisms • Biological toxins • Biomedical waste • Hazardous waste • At UF, used to describe chemical or pharmaceutical waste (see http://www.ehs.ufl.edu/programs/chemrad_waste/ for more information)

4. Biomedical WasteA subset of biological waste • Solid or liquid waste which may present a threat of infection to humans. Includes: • Discarded sharps (medical items intended to cut or puncture skin, e.g. needles, lancets, scalpels) • Non-liquid human tissue and body parts • Blood, blood products and OPIM (as defined in OSHA BBP standard) from humans and other primates • Laboratory/clinical waste containing/contaminated with blood, tissue, cell cultures & other potentially infectious body fluids • Laboratory/veterinary wastes containing human disease-causing agents

5. State Regulationshttp://www.doh.state.fl.us/environment/community/biomedical/pdfs/64E16_1.pdf • Segregation, handling, labeling, storage, transport & treatment of waste are regulated. • Training – initial & annual • Training records must be kept a minimum of 3 years • Site-specific Biomedical Waste Plan • UF BMW plan @ EH&S Biosafety (call 352-392-1591) • Shands BMW plan @ Environmental Services Dept. (call 352-265-0480) • Permits req’d to generate, store, treat, & transport BMW • Inspections by the state • Enforcement • Suspend/revoke permits • Fines of up to $2500/day/violation

6. How is BMW identified? • International biological hazard symbol on the container • The phrase “Biomedical Waste”, “Biohazardous Waste”, “Biohazard”, “Infectious Waste” or “Infectious Substance” must be on the container • Bagged waste must be in red bags.

7. Segregation of BMW • Segregated at point of origin into its proper container • “Point of origin” is the lab, patient/exam/procedure room or other area where the BMW is generated • Choices for proper BMW container: • Red biowaste bag • Labeled fiberboard box lined with a red biowaste bag • Sharps container – puncture resistant container specifically designed for sharps

8. Segregation: Do not mix BMW with radioactive or chemical waste! • Chemically or radiologically contaminated gloves, tubes, etc. do not go into a biomedical waste box. They go into their appropriate waste container. • Call EH&S (352-392-1591) before putting hazardous (chemical) or radioactive warning stickers on biomedical waste containers. • Remember – the biomedical waste box is not a universal disposal container!

9. Segregate medical sharps into sharps containers • Discard directly into a leak-proof, puncture resistant container • Never Re-Cap Needles or Scalpels • Don’t bend, break, or detach from syringe • Replace container when ¾ full • Never attempt to re-open a closed sharps container • Label container with the date, PI name, location (building/room #), and phone #

10. Sharps • Container should be located where the sharps are used: patient rooms, procedure areas, exam rooms, lab, etc. • UF uses disposable containers transported for disposal by Stericycle • Shands uses reusable containers which are supplied & serviced by Bio Systems • Only sharps should go into sharps containers • Soft items quickly overfill containers and may cause sharps to stick out of the top of the box. Sharps boxes containing items other than sharps and syringes need to be replaced ASAP, but definitely within the 30 days of first use

11. Options for items that can cut or puncture the biowaste bag or box? • Examples: broken glass, Pasteur pipets, serological pipets, pipet tips, glass slides/cover slips • Dispose of in a way that they can’t do harm • Sharps box – date and dispose of w/in 30 days • Bench top biohazard bag or empty media bottle for pipet tips • Sturdy box placed in biohazard bag • Plastic sleeve (to bundle pipets together) placed in biohazard bag • Align serological pipets in one direction

12. What do we do with non-sharp BMW? • RED autoclave bags – must meet certain documented standards of State of FL, BBP & DOT • e.g. Fisher #01-828E (Medical Action Industries) • Red bags are to be available where needed • No liquid waste in red bags! • Once sealed, containers must stay sealed. If container breaks or is punctured, put the whole broken container in a new one. • Infectious/potentially infectious waste must be stored in a covered, leak-proof container

14. BMW Storage • BMW must be staged in an area away from general traffic & accessible only to authorized personnel. Storage area must be: • Labeled with biohazard sticker • Secure (locked/non-accessible) • Easily cleanable & tidy • Waste cannot be stored > 30 days • “The 30 day period shall commence when the first non-sharps item of biomedical waste is placed into a red bag or sharps container, or when a sharps container containing only sharps is sealed.” • Packages must be labeled as biomedical waste with the biohazard symbol, name, location, phone & date • Some locations stage the waste & then transport it to outdoor containers removed for disposal by a designated hauler

15. Handling BMW • Use Universal Precautions – assume all BMW is infectious • Wear appropriate PPE (gloves, clothing cover, safety glasses) when handling non-inactivated waste • Transport waste in leak-proof containers • Know how to handle spills

16. Supplies for Handling and Containing BMW • At UF: • Labs must furnish their own PPE and red bags (Fisher #01-828E) • Sharps containers and BMW boxes are available from Building Services custodians (in the HSC). Call 294-5500 for routine scheduled biowaste box delivery, pickup or problems. Labs not on routine delivery, call 392-4414 for occasionally needed supplies. • Outside of the HSC, call 392-5775 to arrange to pick supplies up at the Health Science Center Storeroom, AG133. • At Shands, staff may obtain supplies by: • North Tower: contacting 265-0480 • South Tower: contacting 260-7006 • Speaking to an Environmental Services staff associate on the unit they are working

17. Who Picks Up/Transports BMW for Shands/UF? • Transportation of BMW is provided by the following registered BMW transporter: Stericycle, Inc. 4245 Maine Ave Eaton Park, FL 33840 407-361-5454 State of Florida Permit # 53-64-00911 • What happens in case of an emergency? • Stericyclehas a number of other sites in the state that they can pull transport equipment from to facilitate emergency situations (the contingency plan)

18. Treatment of BMW • BMW shall be treated by heat, incineration, or other equivalent method suitable for hazard inactivation acceptable to the State of Florida. • UF/Shands BMW is treated by Stericycle, Inc. • Autoclave which sterilizes the waste or • Incineration which destroys the waste

19. Pretreatment of biological waste from UF labs prior to disposal by Stericycle • Lab waste handled by UF custodial staff • UF Policy: • Laboratory waste containing infectious, potentially infectious or rDNA organisms must be inactivated prior to disposal • Properly performed autoclave or bleach treatment is acceptable • Storage of all non-inactivated waste in this category is restricted to within the generating laboratory • Specific requirements apply for waste containing biological toxins. Contact the Biological Safety Office at 352-392-1591

20. Autoclaving • Requirements: • Biological indicator testing every 40 hrs of use (every 6 mos if autoclaving non-infectious material exclusively) • Log book • Regular maintenance • 250°F/121°C, 15-20 lb pressure • Large loads/resistant pathogens need more time • Typical bag of biowaste = 60-90 min • Transport waste to autoclave in closed bag and leak-proof container

21. Bleach Inactivation • Acceptable for liquid material if done correctly • Add full strength household bleach to final concentration of 10% (5000 ppm available chlorine). • Mix. Contact time should be at least 30 minutes. • Pour down drain to sanitary sewer. • Beware of other disinfectants = “hazardous chemicals”, harmful to work with and can’t go down drain, must be picked up by EH&S

22. Non-infectious biological waste “Medical / Biomedical looking” – perception issue - especially for custodians & Alachua County landfill. • Used culture ware & molecular biology lab ware not contaminated with pathogen, rDNA, or blood • Gloves & other disposable PPE that are not contaminated with pathogen, rDNA, or blood • Medical devices • Items contaminated with non-infectious animal blood Does not need to be inactivated before disposal Put in biowaste box Not to trash!

23. BMW Spills & Surface Disinfection • Proper spill handling: • Notify people in the area • Don appropriate PPE • Place absorbent material on spill • Apply appropriate disinfectant – allow sufficient contact time (30 min) • Pick up material (watch for glass – use tongs or dust pan); dispose of material into biomedical waste • Reapply disinfectant and wipe • For large/high hazard spills, call the Biosafety Office (352-392-1591) • For routine disinfection of surfaces where BMW is handled, use a 1:10 solution of freshly diluted bleach or a tuberculocidal disinfectant (ethanol evaporates too quickly!) • Shands uses VIREX, a hospital level disinfectant/germicidal cleaner to clean and disinfect surfaces.

24. Do you have a bio-spill kit? • Container of undiluted household bleach • Several pairs of gloves • Safety glasses • Absorbent material • Biohazardous waste (autoclave) bags • Dust pan & scoop or tongs for broken glass Place in a labeled bag or bucket and keep in areas where biohazards are used

25. Call 392-1591 or email bso@ehs.ufl.edu