Tuesday, October 1, 2013

How Medical Waste Florida Is Handled

By Angel Dudley


Medical waste refers to all disposable materials generated in health facilities such as; hospitals, clinics, medical laboratories, research facilities, dental offices, doctors offices, blood banks among other places that offer health care services. The waste can be in form of solid, liquids or sharps and all have a potential of spreading infectious diseases when not properly handled. For this reason, proper management and disposal of medical waste Florida is crucial to prevent spreading of infectious diseases.

First, the state requires facilities operating in the area to segregate their wastes at the point of generation. The disposables are grouped into four categories though some places have three categories. In order to differentiate the various categories, a different color scheme is used to indicate each category. All facilities in the area are required to adhere to this regulation and any other rule given regarding such wastes. Those organizations that do not adhere to the provisions may be closed.

One of the categories is that of non infectious dissipate which typically contains all disposable materials from facilities that are not harmful to people. Such include; paper, packaging materials, food remains, peelings and many other items. These ones are therefore placed in a container or garbage bag with a color code black although different places may place different color scheme and indicate accordingly.

Another classification is infectious substances category. In this category, the substances included here are those that may lead to contamination and spread of dangerous infections when not handled well. As to the color scheme picked for this group, yellow is always used to indicate it even though facilities may decide otherwise and indicate properly. The containers used in this classification should be tightly fitted.

The third category which in some states is usually combined with the second category is the highly infectious material classification. Items of disposal in this classification involve all materials from bodies of patients such as; placenta, blood tissues, teeth, amputated body parts among other things. The label for container containing such things is red and this category is the highly contagious one when not properly handled.

Sharps disposables are the last category and this one contains all the sharp items that have been used in a hospital or a center. They can be; scalpels, vial, lancets, needles, broken slides and blades. These items when handled improperly can lead to spread of infections. They are therefore placed in a disposable container or box and disposed when full.

Once a facility has properly segregated its waste, they will be required to transport all of it to a treatment facility. For the general garbage, these ones are usually taken by a municipal county council for treatment. As for the other hazardous substances, their treatment place is usually in a landfill or incinerator where they are transported by staff trained for the job. A hospital may however decide to hire a company transport the materials to treatment and handle any necessary work there.

When thinking of hiring a company to transport the medical sanitary, amenities should ensure to pick an organization that meets all the requirements of the state and have been legalized to offer their services. Proper handling of medical waste Florida ensures that people and their environment are protected. This therefore contributes to a healthy society.




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