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Saving the environment makes cents. Tony Badrick. Cost of Clinical Laboratories?. Healthcare has a massive carbon footprint: Brazil: Hospital account for 10.6% of the country’s total commercial energy consumption
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Saving the environment makes cents Tony Badrick
Cost of Clinical Laboratories? Healthcare has a massive carbon footprint: Brazil: Hospital account for 10.6% of the country’s total commercial energy consumption USA: Health-care buildings are the second most energy- intensive commercial sector buildings, using about twice as much energy per square foot as traditional office space. They spend about US $8.5 billion a year on energy. England: The NHS has calculated it’s carbon footprint at more than 18 million tonnes of CO2 each year - 25% of total public sector emissions.
But: Laboratories are major sources of waste Water Power Toxic chemicals Heat Infectious material Laboratories are very regulated They are used to continuous improvement They all have ISO 15189/9000
What are the benefits of an Environmental Management System? • Improved Environmental Performance – reduced waste • Compliance with regulations and legislation • Some preparation for business continuity problems • Improved corporate image (internal and external) • Cost Reductions
PLAN • Environmental Aspects • Record the different aspects of the business • Normal / Abnormal / Emergency • Consider Past, Ongoing and Planned aspects • Evaluate the aspects to decide which are “significant” • Practice wide significant environmental aspects • Water usage • Energy usage • Consumables • Waste • Chemicals • Biological • General / Recycling
PLAN PLAN • Legal and Other Requirements • - Specific to activity eg permit to store DG • Specific to a product or service eg licence to discharge waste to sewer • Specific to industry eg building licence • General Federal, State & local Council legislation / permits • Objectives, targets and programmes
DO • Pen muster • Recycle specimen bags • Separate & recycle waste: paper, plastics 1-5 • Fluorescent tubes • Styrofoam • IT consumables • Toner savings for printers – font size • Double sided photocopying • Treatment of liquid waste
DO • Documentation / Control of Documents • Corporate Quality Manual • Local Quality Manuals • Direct links between ISO 14001 & ISO 9001 • Emergency Preparedness and Response - Fire / Chemical / Internal Emergency • Policies • Environmental Management Policy • Code of Practice • Incentive Programs / campaigns • Control requirements
CHECK • Monitoring and Measurement • KPI’s for stationery usage, waste disposal, water and energy usage etc. • Evaluation of Compliance • Legal Obligations • Non-conformity, corrective and preventative actions • Control of Records • Internal Audits
REVIEW / ACT • Management Review
Implementing ISO 14001 Complementarity of environmental, OHS & lean management • Reduce toxins • Reduce waste • Reduce use Conflict of environmental, OHS & lean management • Recycling eg sharps • Lean vs OHS vs environment
Recycle • install new skips & bins • small bins for general waste; large bins for recycling • shredding confidential papers as generated • all paper & cardboard products • general recycling, including 24hr urine bottles • Plastics 1-5 – inside contact • Xylene & formalin recycling on site • Landcare volunteers & project support
Reuse • specimen bags • paper / memos etc in printers • limit reuse - number of recycles - integrity of materials - maintenance of barrier / sterility - chemical changes eg rancid oils; threshhold levels of contaminants
Treatment of Liquid Trade Waste Xylene recycling on site Treatment of stains
Activated carbon column for treatment of haematology & Gram stains
Following passage through column, pH is adjusted to 7-9 prior to discharge.
Plastic reuse & reduce Vacutainer barrels: Clean & re-use barrels: 80,000 barrels per year used (@3.3g) = 264kg plastic 70% Ethanol: 18 534 bottles = 932kg plastic Single use barrels: ~2.5 million barrels/yr = 8.25t No plastic bottles 1.2 tonnes cf 8.25 tonnes Single use = 7x amount of plastic
Papers Proposals for the mitigation of the environmental impact of clinical laboratories. Lopez and Badrick. ClinChem Lab Med 2012;50(9):1559–1564 2012 – International Fed ClinChem – Guideline Document Outcomes and challenges of implementing an ISO 14001:2004 environmental management system in a clinical laboratory. Reid, Kehrer, Badrick. J Aust Med Sc. 2012;33: 88-95. Implementing ISO14001:2004 environmental management system in a clinical laboratory: challenges and staff attitudes. Reid, Kehrer, Badrick. Submitted Quality Progress. 2012 The Impact on Costs and Efficiency of Reducing the Number of Collected Tubes. Hobson and Badrick. In press ClinChem Lab Med 2012.
What is next? • Australia – further work on recycling • Awareness • SE Asia – pilot site – Asian Pacific Federation of Clinical Biochemistry