Health care waste management

• The main aim of control of healthcare waste is

to:-
→Minimize the risks of hazardous agents (such as
pathogens)

→Prevent their transmission to patients, health care

workers and the environment.

1. Healthcare Non-Risk waste:

• Packaging ‫صناديق‬
• Administrative and housekeeping function
within health establishment
• Domestic ‫منزلي‬waste
2. Healthcare Risk waste
• Six different categories of risk waste have been
identified.

2.1. Pathological waste

• Fragment of tissues and organs
• Non-viable fetuses
• Placenta
• Animal carcasses‫بقايا‬
• Blood
• Body fluid

2.2. Regulated medical waste‫ضبط البقايا الطبية‬

• It's a waste that transmit infectious disease
caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites, fungi and
histopathological waste and disposal materials
used for medical purposes.
• Waste generated from operating rooms other
than human remains.
2.3. Chemical waste
• Discarded solid
• Liquid and gaseous chemicals, e.g. diagnostic
and experimental work
• Cleaning, housekeeping and disinfecting
procedures

2.4. Sharp waste

• Acute rigid corner and edges capable of cutting
or piercing‫ثقب‬
• Needles, syringes, scalpels ‫مشر‬, saws ‫منشررا‬, and
broken glass.

2.5. Pharmaceutical waste

• Drugs, vaccines, sera and vials that are no longer
required.
2.6. Radioactive waste
* Solid , liquid and gaseous waste contaminated
with radionuclide from organ imaging or tumor
localization and therapeutic procedures.
Unintentional ‫غي مقصود‬transmission of infection
can take place from health care waste through:
• Sharp injuries (needle stick injury)
• Airborne transfer and skin contact
• Infected blood (e.g. hepatitis B and C, AIDS)
• Lung , eyes and skin (e.g. toxic and chemicals).
These chemicals can enter the body through
inhalation of dust, aerosols, or through skin
absorption.
• Radioactive waste which can be a carcinogenic
hazard.
ALWAYS WEAR HAEAVY UTILITY GLOVES AND
SHOES WHEN HANDLING MEDICAL WASTE.
ALWAYS WASH YOUR HANDS AFTER
HANDLING WASTE AND AFTER REMOVING
YOUR GLOVES

Sorting ‫الف ز‬, handling, Interim ‫مؤقت‬storage, and

Disposal ‫ مي‬of Medical waste.

There are four aspects of medical waste

management:
1. Sorting: Only a small percentage of the waste
generated by a health care facility is medical
waste that must be specially handled to reduce
the risk of infections of injury.

2. Handling: Handle medical waste as little as

possible before disposal. Waste containers in
operating theaters, procedure rooms, and toilets ,
latrines, should be emptied when they become
three quarters full (at least once daily)
3. Interim storage: If it is necessary to store medical
waste on-site before dispose.
• Place waste in an areas that is minimally
accessible to staff, clients, and visitors.
• Make sure all containers have lids: cover the
containers so that insects, rodents and other
animal cannot get into them
• Plan for only short term storage-usually for
several hours, but no more than one or two days

4. Disposal: medical waste should be disposed by:-

• Burning :is preferable to burying medical waste ,

since the high temperature destroys
microorganisms and reduces the amount of
waste. Burning in an incinerator is
recommended.

• If medical waste cannot be burned , on site burial

is the next best option.
General guidelines for disposal of medical
waste:
1. Use color coded bags for the segregation of
waste:
1.1 Health care Non-risk waste, They are
disposed in black plastic bag.
1.2 Health care risk waste: they are disposed in
orange plastic bags and they are always doubled.

2. Use washable, leak-proof containers for disposal

of medical waste in operating theaters and
procedure rooms.
3. Always keep waste containers in convenient
place for users
4. Empty the container daily or when it is three
quarters full.
5. Never put hands into containers with medical
waste.
6. Always dispose of medical waste correctly; never
simply throw it outside.
7. Always wear heavy utility gloves and shoes when
handling and transporting medical waste.
8. Wash containers used for medical waste with
disinfectant cleaning solution and rinse them
with water daily.
9. Provide appropriate information , instruction ,
training and supervision to ensure the
implementation of waste management system.
10. Regularly review all activities to ensure
compliance with environmental and health law.
11. Tuberculosis culture and TB contaminated
materials must be autoclaved before disposal
with infectious waste.
Disposal of sharps, liquid medical waste, and
Hazardous chemical waste.

SHARPS
1. Dispose of all used sharp item in puncture
resistant container which made out of a heavy
cardboard box, an empty plastic jug, or a metal
container.
Sharp container should be located close to the
place in which procedures are performed so that
staff do not have to walk across the room carrying
used sharp.

2. Close sharps containers securely when they are

three quarter full

3. Sharps are destroyed by burning in large

industrial incinerators.
LIQUID MEDICAL WASTE
• When carrying or disposing of liquid medical
waste, be careful to avoid splashing the waste on
yourself, others nearby , or surface.
• Carefully pour liquid waste down a sink , drain ,
flushable toilet, or latrine.
• Rinse the sink, drain , or toilet thoroughly with
water to remove residual waste, again avoiding
splashing.
• Clean with a disinfectant cleaning solution at the
end of each day , or more frequently , if heavily
used or soiled.
• Decontaminate the container that held the liquid
waste by filling it with a 0.5% chlorine solution
and soaking it for 10 min before washing.

HAZARDOUS CHEMICAL WASTE

• Cleaning the solution and disinfectants, such as
gluteraldehyde, should be handled as liquid
medical waste.