With hospital staff always on the go, working long and hard hours, and patient care, drug dispensing, insurance issues, etc, there is a lot to keep people busy at a hospital. While all of the above are certainly priorities, there are other things that are also important, but aren’t thought of as often. An example of this is pharmaceutical waste disposal. What? That’s right. If this isn’t kept as a priority and handled correctly, it could lead to big problems. It could raise safety issues for the public, water could be at risk of contamination. Another problem for an organisation is that big fines could be coming your way if it isn’t handled properly. So what are some tips to getting this right?
Separate, Separate, and Separate Again
There are many other types of specialised waste that will need to be handled in different ways so the waste must be separated. Firstly, biohazardous waste needs to be separated and put in a different container. Then there are controlled substances. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has very specific regulations that must be followed for controlled substances. Another step is to separate out any trace chemotherapy waste. Yes, trace amounts may seem insignificant and like a big fuss is being made from nothing, but even trace amounts of chemotherapy waste can pose a threat to public health. One more thing to separate is hazardous waste which again requires very specific disposal to ensure safety for the public.
Is There Anything Left?
After you’ve removed the biohazardous waste, the controlled substances, the trace chemotherapy waste, and the hazardous waste, what remains needs to disposed of in a way that meets environmental standards. It can be hard to know what that is and scary thinking of the legal implications for getting things wrong. This is why it is important to get the right waste disposal company to help you handle everything. Make sure you use a reputable company with knowledge and experience, a proven track record of handling these types of waste. With a trusted company you can relax knowing all official standards have been complied with.
Pharmaceutical waste disposal management can sound complicated and scary with the different government agencies checking standards are being followed but it doesn’t have to be as hard as it sounds. Just remember to separate your waste, and use a trusted waste disposal company to destroy it for you.
