Why is Sharps Waste Disposal Important
When working in the healthcare sector there are many different types of waste that will need to be correctly disposed of. This is true of contaminated and soiled materials as well as sharps and other biohazardous waste. It is actually important for all clinical waste to be disposed of correctly but there is a bigger responsibility with the Sharps Waste Disposal.
Sharps waste is a form of biomedical waste composed of used sharps, which includes any device or object used to puncture or lacerate the skin. Sharps waste is classified as biohazardous waste and must be carefully handled. Due to the biohazardous waste disposal regulations, there are specific ways that the waste must be disposed of. Sharps disposal is the most vitally important due to the high risk of injury and contamination. Sharps waste needs to be disposed of correctly with the correct container. Any sharps waste needs to be placed into a container that can only be opened to place the sharp object in and then once the container is closed it is made very difficult to get the sharps object back out. It is never a good idea to put sharp waste into a plastic bag, if the sharp is enough to puncture of lacerate skin it will potentially puncture the bag too. This is when the risk of injury would increase to a high risk as someone moving the bag would not expect the sharp object to be in the bag and it could cause contamination and maybe even more serious infections or injuries.
Sharps waste disposal is in need of being collected and disposed of as quickly as possible to keep the risk of harm, injury or contamination at a low. Once the sharps are disposed of in the correct container then it is necessary to then take the sharps to a disposal bin outside of the building. This is when an outside waste disposal company will make regular collections and take the sharps and dispose 0f them properly. Some healthcare facilities have on site incinerators for disposal but most healthcare facilities produce masses of clinical waste and biohazardous waste so they need to take on the help of a professional waste disposal company to ensure all disposal regulations are being followed correctly.
A professional waste disposal company will be able to make all the necessary collections of your sharps and other waste disposal and they will be able to incinerate it off site correctly. A waste disposal company can make as many collections as you think is necessary depending on the amount of waste disposal that your healthcare setting produces. The more waste disposal that you have the more the need for extra or more frequent collections The faster the waste that is disposed in outdoor bins is collected the less risk it imposes lying around the healthcare building. A professional waste disposal company will gladly take care of the needs and collections and the weight of the disposal will be taken off the healthcare sectors shoulders, so to speak.