Medical Waste Disposal Huntsville, AL

Alabama does not have its own medical waste disposal program and is one of the 26 states that are covered entirely by the federal OSHA program. In Huntsville the medical waste program is managed by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) and is defined as a solid waste that “because of its infectious characteristics may either cause, or significantly contribute to, an increase in mortality or an increase in serious irreversible or incapacitating reversible illness, or pose a substantial present hazard or potential hazard to human health or the environment when improperly treated, stored, transported, disposed, or otherwise managed”. In practice this will include wastes that are generated in the delivery of daily healthcare such as:

• Cultures and stocks of infectious agents generated in medical pathology and clinical research.
• Human blood – this may include items dripping with blood as well as products on which blood has caked and dried upon.
• Sharps waste, such as used hypodermic needles, scalpel blades, syringes, etc.

It is important to note that medical waste is not the same as hazardous waste, which must be treated differently. If infectious waste has been treated and had its infectious element removed, it is no longer defined as medical waste.

All healthcare facilities, whether hospitals, veterinary surgeries or nursing homes are required to submit a written medical waste plan before they can commence generation, transportation or treatment activity. The plan must specify the types of medical waste that will be generated, how the waste will be segregated and labeled, whether waste will be treated “on-site” or “off-site” and any transportation arrangements. The plan must be kept up-to-date as necessary and include mandatory employee training. Huntsville biohazard waste disposal companies can help you formulate your facility’s medical waste plan and provide OSHA compliance training to your employees.

While medical waste is present at your facility, it is your responsibility to contain and store it appropriately. Medical waste must be packaged in containers that have either a red background color or use red lettering with a contrasting background color. They must be clearly labeled with the words “Infectious” or “Medical Waste” or “Biohazardous” and contain the International Biological Hazard Symbol. Sharps must be placed directly into leak proof, rigid, puncture-resistant containers and sealed to prevent loss of contents under normal handling. Containers must be handled in a manner that does not affect the integrity of containment and must be stored in a way that affords protection from animals and the outside environment. Healthcare facilities must not store their medical waste for long than seven days from the date initial storage begins unless waste is refrigerated at a temperature less than 45 degrees Fahrenheit. This does not apply to small quantity generators (less than 220 pounds per month of medical waste).

Healthcare facilities are permitted to treat their medical waste on-site in the “Star of Alabama”. They must use incinerators and, in some circumstances, steam sterilizers to treat the waste. The high temperatures destroy the harmful bacteria and remove the infectious potential of the waste. Treating waste on-site is expensive, requires investment in infrastructure and brings its own additional challenges. Incinerators must comply with the regulations regarding air pollution control and correct treatment certification must be provided to the solid waste transporter on a per load basis. Most facilities choose to remove this burden by utilizing the services of a medical waste disposal company who will collect infectious treatment and transport it away for treatment off-site.