Every year, hospitals generate more than 5 million tons of waste – the equivalent of 29 pounds of waste per bed per day. While the majority of this waste consists of general, non-hazardous materials, the World Health Organization estimates that 15% of it contains potentially infectious, toxic, or radioactive substances. Daily, millions of healthcare workers encounter this medical waste during both its generation and disposal.
Before healthcare staff come into contact with medical waste, they must receive proper training on safe handling and disposal to mitigate potential safety, financial, and reputational risks. These could include occupational hazards like needlestick injuries, epidemiological concerns like the spread of bloodborne pathogens, and environmental contamination. Proper training on handling and disposal can reduce these risks in clinical spaces and surrounding communities.
Understanding Medical Waste and Training
Healthcare facilities may generate different types of regulated wastes; however, the most common is regulated medical waste (RMW). Although each state defines RMW differently, generally, it includes any waste saturated with liquid or semi-liquid blood or other potentially infectious materials (OPIM) that has the potential to cause harm or infect humans. This includes, but is not limited to, blood-saturated gauze and bandages or other potentially infectious materials and sharps waste, such as contaminated glass, needles, blades, staples, wires, and the exposed ends of dental wires.
Some states might require both initial and annual refresher training on RMW disposal while others do not specify requirements. In addition to state regulations, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Bloodborne Pathogens standard requires initial and annual training for staff members with occupational exposure, which could occur from handling blood, contaminated sharps, and other potentially infectious materials. This training should encompass strategies to prevent accidental injuries and reduce the risk of transmitting bloodborne pathogens. Furthermore, the Department of Transportation (DOT) requires training for hazmat employees who are responsible for packaging RMW and preparing it for transportation. This training must be provided within 90 days of a hazmat employee starting the job and every three years thereafter. A new employee may perform hazmat job functions before completing training, provided the employee does so under the direct supervision of a properly trained and knowledgeable hazmat employee.
In addition to understanding the applicable training requirements for your organization, it is also essential to have written verification that training occurred. This should include the training date(s); trainer name and qualifications; training subject; and employee’s printed name, job title, and signature.
Waste Segregation Training
Your staff plays a key role in ensuring medical waste always ends up in the appropriate container. If employees are not diligent about how they throw away waste, they could inadvertently create health risks, put your regulatory compliance and reputation at risk, increase disposal costs, and deviate you from your sustainability goals.
For example, don’t use RMW or sharps containers as catchalls for all waste types – doing so could lead to regulatory scrutiny and possible fines, in addition to safety and environmental concerns.
Here are four ways to enhance your waste management training:
- Confirm the Waste Types your Vendors Can Accept – Ensure that what you are teaching staff to discard in waste containers is allowable per the waste vendor. For example, Stericycle has waste acceptance policies for the various services offered that include descriptions of acceptable or “conforming” wastes as well as non-acceptable or “non-conforming” wastes. These policies must be followed to ensure compliance with regulations and ensure additional costs are not incurred for improper disposal.
- Offer Online Waste Management Training – Although it’s helpful to give reminders about waste segregation during staff meetings, organizations should also deliver more comprehensive training throughout the year. Offering online tools can make it more convenient for staff as they can access the training any time, from anywhere. Stericycle offers dynamic online options that are both informative and engaging, using practical examples to illustrate important points.
- Engage in Scheduled and Impromptu Waste Disposal Reviews – Periodically observe staff to check how they dispose of various items to verify whether employees are reliably following procedures. Ideally, such assessments should be conducted without staff knowledge, since individuals might change their behavior if they know they are being watched. By observing employees unannounced, organizations can get a truer picture of what’s happening. If your facility is small enough, do walk-throughs, look into containers to ensure proper disposal, talk to employees about disposal policies and practices, and consider assigning additional training.
- Make Learning About Medical Waste Disposal Fun – Quizzes, contests, and other games to determine how well training sticks can be beneficial and help determine where there might be room for additional training. For example, an organization might hold a contest in which staff guess what’s wrong with several pictures that illustrate waste disposal. Perhaps items are mixed together that shouldn’t be, or maybe a certain type of waste is in the wrong container. Having staff participate in such activities can build knowledge and foster a cultural commitment to better waste segregation.
Partner With a Medical Waste Industry Leader
Healthcare organizations should consider working with a trusted medical waste management partner. Healthcare providers can benefit from the support of a medical waste management partner who can assist them with correctly disposing of regulated wastes.
Stericycle can be your strategic waste management partner in training – working with you to deliver up-to-date educational tools and resources. Stericycle offers Steri-Safe® Compliance Training Solutions, which provide healthcare staff with an assortment of online trainings related to medical waste disposal and DOT Hazardous Materials Training as related to the products Stericycle offers. Steri-Safe®’s online tools also record when the training is completed, ensuring organizations can be confident their staff has received the required education.
Learn more about how Stericycle can help design a comprehensive waste disposal training program for staff.
