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Hazardous and Infectious Waste

Hazardous and Infectious Waste. Managing hazardous waste Hazardous waste includes chemicals and biological materials. Disposal of waste in the health care industry is an important issue and is governed by hospital policy and government legislation.

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Hazardous and Infectious Waste

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  1. Hazardous and Infectious Waste

  2. Managing hazardous wasteHazardous waste includes chemicals and biological materials • Disposal of waste in the health care industry is an important issue and is governed by hospital policy and government legislation. • It is important to understand the correct procedures to follow for the disposal of waste in your workplace. • LOGBOOK ACTIVITY: Locate the policies manual referring to correct waste disposal. Fill in the sheet in your logbook.

  3. Waste Waste within the Healthcare setting includes materials that fit into the following categories: • General waste • Contaminated waste • Aerosol cans • Pharmaceutical / chemical • Infectious waste • Sharps • Cytotoxic waste

  4. Waste. Continued… The Environmental Services Department manages the disposal of waste. The following types of waste MUST BE incinerated: • Infectious waste • Pharmaceutical waste • All sharps • Waste disposal is colour -coded so that quick identification of waste and its appropriate disposal guidelines are adhered to.

  5. Waste Disposal Guidelines

  6. Infectious waste • Infectious waste includes any substance containing micro-organisms or viruses posing a substantial threat to the health of human beings or the environment. Infectious waste includes ALL sharps. Depending on the type of infection a client has, there are specific guidelines surrounding the treatment of the clients’ waste and linen.

  7. Cytotoxic waste • Includes: • Cytotoxic drugs • Needles and syringes used in the treatment • IV sets • Ampoules / vials • Disposable gloves, gowns, caps and swabs

  8. The colour code for cytotoxic waste is purple, the method of disposal is different from other kinds of waste; cytotoxic waste is disposed of by controlled high temperature incineration. Cytotoxic waste warning signs should be displayed at the patient’s bed head, sharps box, cytotoxic waste bag and cytotoxic waste carton.

  9. Sharps • Placed in hard walled sharps container (purple) or yellow sharps container with cytotoxic label attached. Containers taped down and placed in purple cytotoxic waste bag, taped closed, identified with cytotoxic waste label and collected by environmental services staff.

  10. Linen • Non contaminated linen is treated as normal linen • Contaminated linen is double bagged into alginate bag and then into yellow linen bag, not placed with general linen, stored separately for collection and staff advised that it is contaminated cytotoxic linen.

  11. Leakage from cytotoxic waste is identified and cleaned up using the correct protocol immediately. A spillage kit must be on the ward before administration of chemotherapy.

  12. If you are contaminated with cytotoxic waste / chemical / drug • Follow the correct hospital policy and procedure • Wash / shower immediately • Contact supervisor • Change contaminated clothing • Complete incident form

  13. If the patient is contaminated with cytotoxic waste / chemical / drug • Follow the correct hospital policy and procedure • Wash / shower patient immediately • Change contaminated clothing • Change contaminated bed linen and dispose of appropriately • Contact supervisor • Complete incident form

  14. Hazard management for cytotoxic drugs and related waste • Follow policy and procedure • Education and training • Correct use of equipment • Report and record any exposure – accident investigation • Maintain standard precautions • Update new technologies or medications • Long sleeve gown (impervious), gloves, goggles for IV admin • Appropriate administration by a Registered Nurse • Extravasation and spill kits plus instructions kept on site • Unused dugs to be returned to pharmacy • No touch techniques • Appropriate use of PPE

  15. Protection surrounding infectious waste exposure and disposal • Refer to the policy and procedures manual of the organisation • Information and training provided by supervisors is needed • Ensuring safe work practices are adhered to eg. PPE • Maintaining equipment appropriately • Correct signage • Report any potential problems that could cause injury

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