Coronavirus

There’s no doubt that Covid-19 (Coronavirus) biomedical waste must be handled with care. This guide is designed to provide medical staff with the proper guidance on how to handle and dispose COVID-19 Coronavirus medical waste.

This guide will cover proper handling and disposal for medical waste for which the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has released for patients diagnosed with the Coronavirus or patients under investigation.

We are here for you during these uncertain times. If you have any questions, feel free to contact a trained representative at 877-543-2015.

Covid-19 Coronavirus Biomedical Waste Packaging

To prevent the spread of the virus and other potentially infectious diseases, certain protocols must be followed with your biomedical waste.

• Tie individual bags with an overhand knot, inside the examination room. Do not transport an open bag from the examination room to the biomedical waste box/bin. This could cause the spread of potentially infected Coronavirus biomedical waste throughout the office.
• All sharps containers must be placed in the biohazard bag prior to disposal.
• Keep biohazard containers in a locked/secured area in your office.
• Prior to pickup, ensure your medical waste container is secured with the bags tied. It is not only required of the generator to close the red bag, it is a safety concern for the spread of Coronavirus COVID-19 through biomedical waste.

Covid-19 Coronavirus Biomedical Waste Treatment & Disposal

Potentially infected COVID-19 Coronavirus biomedical waste and infectious blood borne pathogens should be handled with care.

Any potentially infected COVID-19 Coronavirus biomedical waste should be labeled for special care and disposal. This will enable your waste transporter and treatment facility to handle with care while treating the waste.

WasteX provides full treatment options for potentially infected COVID-19 Coronavirus medical waste disposal.

Other Steps Healthcare Facilities Can Take in Dealing with Covid-19 Coronavirus
Review Emergency Preparedness Plan
Review Biomedical Waste Operating Plan
Review Bloodborne Pathogen Training Course
Conduct an inventory of Personal Protection Equipment
Plan for a surge

Take Precautionary Personnel Steps:

1. Wear gloves and mask when handling packages of biomedical waste.
2. Wash hands often for at least 20 seconds; Use hand sanitizer when soap and water are unavailable.

Take Precautionary Office Steps:

1. Decontaminate floors where biomedical waste is stored, which could be potentially infected with COVID-19 Coronavirus.
2. Minimize the opening of potentially infected COVID-19 biomedical waste containers.

Biomedical Waste Operating Plan

COVID-19 Coronavirus is a perfect opportunity to update your biomedical waste operating plan.

Your biomedical waste operating plan provides written communication to employees and staff within the office on how to handle potentially infectious waste, which could contain pathogens.

It spells out the following:

• Where the operating plan is located and how employees can access
• Employee training records location
• Last date of OSHA/Bloodborne Pathogen training received
• Types of waste materials generated
• Biohazard Red Bag manufacturer
• Biohazard Red Bag location
• Biomedical box/bin location
• Medical waste disposal company
• Backup medical waste disposal company (Contingent Plan)

If your office isn’t up to date with a biomedical waste operating plan, click on the link below to create your own free plan.
https://www.medicalcompliancecertification.com/free-biomedical-operating-plan-builder/

Bloodborne Pathogen Training

COVID-19 Coronavirus can be spread through many avenues, some of which have not been fully identified by the Centers For Disease Control as of March 2020. However, Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) requires all dental and medical facilities to complete their Bloodborne Pathogen training every calendar year.

Your annual blood borne pathogen training should include the following:

• What is Biomedical Waste
• Proper Handling & Storage of Biomedical Waste
• Waste Segregation
• Types of Bloodborne Pathogen Training
• Use of Universal Precautions (Treating all waste as if its infectious)
• Proper Use of PPE
• Use of Labels & Signs
• Exposure Control Plan
• Hepatitis B Vaccination Awareness

WasteX has teamed up with Medical Compliance Certification to provide this training free of charge to all of their customers. If your business needs to update their training and are a current customer, contact us for a coupon code.

If you are not a current customer, but still need the training, you can visit:
https://www.medicalcompliancecertification.com

Proper Use of Personal Protective Equipment

To ensure your staff understands the proper use and conservation of Personal Protective Equipment, please visit the CDC website at:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/hcp/index.html

Want to learn more? Call WasteX today to at 1-877-543-2015 to get started.