ASSIGNMEMT 4

1. What is hospital waste ?

Hospital waste is any kind of waste that contains infectious material (or
material that’s potentially infectious). This definition includes waste generated by
healthcare facilities like physician’s offices, hospitals, dental practices, laboratories,
medical research facilities, and veterinary clinics.

Any waste , which is generated during the diagnosis , treatment or immunization

of human beings or animals or in research activities pertaining to the production of drugs
in pharmaceutical companies , animal waste generated in the veterinary hospitals and
also in the slaughter houses , etc. Need for BMW Management

Some examples are culture dishes, glassware, bandages, gloves, discarded

sharps like needles or scalpels, swabs, and tissue.

2. List out different types of color coding

used in hospital waste Management ( HWM )
represent with neat tabular column .
 Biomedical waste management colour coding

  Blog
  Biomedical waste management colour coding for beginners
Whether or not you’ve been following our other articles about biomedical waste management,
you probably know that the disposal of such garbage must be done in a certain manner: without
damaging the environment, or endangering the safety of patients or medical staff. The
sterilizing and removal methods are also highly dependent on the kind of medical waste you
need to get rid of.

Colour coding basically exists to allow you to easily distinguish the different types of biomedical
waste, by sorting them into different categories, each pertaining to a single colour. So, if you
want your company to have an efficient waste management system, these really are the basics.
In order to properly dispose of the potentially hazardous garbage, you need to know what kind
of materials you need to get rid of.

Which is why our next article will be about biomedical waste management colour coding. Keep
reading to find out more!
So why is there a need for
biomedical waste color coding?
Color coding isn’t there just for your comfort: it also represents the very basic principle that
waste doesn’t all go to the same place. Different kinds of waste also means different of ways of
handling them. Just think of hazardous medical chemical waste: it is essential to separate them
from the other types of waste, in order to be safely processed. Hazardous medical waste is
typically handled by incineration instead of going to a landfill, but nowadays, there are even
more modern and practical ways to handle biomedical waste management on-site, like
autoclaves, or integrated sterilizers and medical waste shredders.

Nonetheless, any company that creates biomedical waste absolutely has to clearly label bins
with color coding, to ensure their personnel disposes correctly of all types of medical waste.

To understand biomedical waste

management color coding…
Naturally, you would need to be familiar with the different types of (bio)medical waste.
Depending on the sources you check, you may find slight differences in categorization, but
basically, these are the types of waste that can be considered as biomedical:

 Sharps waste
This also includes metals, as well as almost anything with a “sharp” edge that may
cause punctures and/or cuts on unsuitable containers (hence the name “sharps” waste).
Needles, blades, scalpels etc. fall under this category. Due to the context in which these
tools are used, they are considered hazardous medical waste.
 Pathological waste (also known as human anatomical waste)
Human tissues, body parts, organs…basically anything that comes from the human body.
 Infectious (or soiled) biomedical waste
Any tool that has come into contact with bloods and/or bodily fluids, like bandages,
dressings, plaster casts, cotton swabs etc.
 Contaminated, but recyclable biomedical waste
This includes waste generated from disposable medical equipment, like bottles, tubing,
intravenous tubes, syringes (WITHOUT the needles),catheters, or gloves.
  Medical chemical waste
Any chemicals that have been used in the production of disinfectants. This also includes
liquid medical chemical waste (e.g. infected secretions, lab liquids, discarded Formalin).
 Clinical laboratory waste (e.g. microbiology, biotechnology)
This category consists of lab specimens of microorganisms, blood bags, vaccines,
toxins, as well as human and animal cells used in lab research.
 Discarded or expired medicine/drug waste
This is what we usually refer to as pharmaceutical waste, consisting mainly of
antibiotics, and cytotoxic drugs (as well as anything that may have come into contact
with said drugs). 

Colour coding for biomedical waste

management: yellow, red, white,
and blue bins
1. YELLOW

 Pathological waste
 Soiled (infectious) waste
 Medical chemical waste
 Clinical lab waste
 Pharmaceutical waste (discarded/expired medicines and drugs)

This is the color code that covers most types of biomedical waste. However, depending on how
hazardous the waste is considered, you will need to use different types of containers for
collection, and different methods for disposal. Most can be collected in yellow coloured
containers or non-chlorinated plastic bags, but in the case of liquid chemical medical waste, you
will need a separate collection system. Autoclaves are among the best tools available on the
market for on-site sterilization, but in the case of hazardous medical waste (like soiled
waste),you will also need a medical waste shredder to ensure safe disposal. 

3. Explain in detail about different types of

hospital waste categorization .
4. Describe in detail about different types
medical waste such as : ( i ) . Hazardous
waste ( ii ) . Infectious waste ( iii ) .
Pathological waste ( iv ) . Microbial waste