Hazardous Clinical Waste - Kernow Clinical Waste

Hazardous Clinical Waste Management

Hazardous clinical waste includes materials that pose a threat to public health or the environment. This can range from infectious items like contaminated gloves, bandages, and sharps (e.g., needles and scalpel blades), to pharmaceutical waste and chemical substances. Proper management of these wastes is critical to ensure safety and compliance with regulatory standards.

Proper Segregation and Bagging

To ensure safe disposal, hazardous clinical waste should be placed in appropriately coloured bags:

Orange Bags: Used for infectious waste that requires alternative treatment before disposal or straight to incineration.
Yellow Bags: Used for infectious and other hazardous waste that requires incineration.
Red Bags: Sometimes used for anatomical waste.

These bags should be securely tied and sealed to prevent any spillage or contamination during handling.

Safe Handling Procedures

When handling hazardous clinical waste, staff should:

Wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves and masks.
Avoid overfilling bags to ensure they can be securely tied.
Handle bags with care to avoid punctures or leaks.
Use lockable bins with correct signage to store waste before collection.

Recent Legislative Changes

Recent updates to hazardous waste legislation have simplified compliance processes:

Streamlined documentation requirements to reduce administrative burden.
Enhanced digital systems for real-time tracking and reporting of waste management activities.

Customized Waste Collection Solutions

We offer various bin sizes to accommodate the specific volume needs of each customer. Our bins are lockable and clearly marked with the correct signage to ensure safe storage and handling of hazardous clinical waste.

Importance of Proper Segregation

It’s crucial to separate hazardous clinical waste from non-hazardous waste to prevent cross-contamination and ensure that waste is treated and disposed of correctly. Improper mixing can lead to significant health and environmental risks and it will always be collected as hazardous if mixed accidentally.

Flexible Collection Services

We provide collection services tailored to the frequency that best suits your needs. All consignment notes are provided digitally and emailed in real time to ensure you have immediate access to necessary documentation.

Comprehensive Compliance Support

Our services include pre-acceptance audits, waste transfer notes, and all required legal paperwork in a digital format. This ensures that you remain compliant with all regulations and can easily keep track of your waste management activities.

Hassle-Free Waste Management

While managing hazardous clinical waste comes with numerous rules and regulations, we’re here to make the process straightforward and stress-free. Our experienced team will guide you through compliance, offering reliable and efficient waste management solutions that prioritise your safety and peace of mind.

Contact us today to learn more about our comprehensive hazardous clinical waste management services!

The current legislation for managing hazardous clinical waste in the UK is outlined in the Health and Safety (Hazardous Waste) Regulations 2005 and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH). These regulations set out the requirements for the safe management, handling, and disposal of hazardous waste to protect human health and the environment.

For more detailed information, you can refer to the official guidelines provided by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) here.

Would you like to know more about any specific aspect of the legislation?

yes provide a short version of the new HTM 07-01 regulation

The Health Technical Memorandum (HTM) 07-01 provides comprehensive guidance for the safe and sustainable management of healthcare waste. The latest 2023 version emphasizes sustainability, cost savings, and safer working practices. Key changes include:

Enhanced strategic approach: Focuses on eliminating unnecessary waste and improving waste classification and segregation practices.
Sustainability: Aligns with the NHS Clinical Waste Strategy and targets for achieving Net Zero carbon emissions.
Workforce development: Emphasizes skill development within waste management.

For more detailed information, you can refer to the full document on the NHS England website here.

The HTM 07-01 regulation highlights the importance of downgrading waste that was previously classified as potentially infectious. By correctly classifying and segregating waste at the source, healthcare facilities can divert certain wastes away from more costly and energy-intensive treatment processes1. This not only reduces disposal costs but also contributes to sustainability goals by promoting recycling and recovery operations.

You can find the detailed information on the HTM 07-01 regulation on the NHS England website here.