Benefits Of Using A Professional Hazardous Waste Transporter And Disposal Firm For Your Medical Facility
Medical waste generated from various facilities has the potential to spread diseases or pollute the environment when poorly handled during transportation or improperly disposed. Hiring an experienced hazardous waste transporter and disposal firm to handle this delicate task is not only convenient for your business, but also offers other additional benefits discussed below.
Ensuring safety
A hazardous waste transporter is required by the law to only handle medical waste that is properly containerized and meets all the required packaging requirements laid down by the state. Before waste is transported, it is usually segregated in the medical care facility. Yellow bags normally hold infectious waste, such as gauze, body fluids and bandages. Red bags are for plastic waste including catheters, syringes and IV bottles, while blue bags hold all types of glasses including bottles and discarded outdated medicines. Black carboy bags are for the sharps, such as needles and other metallic items.
These waste bags cannot be loaded directly into the vehicle during transportation. To ensure safety during transportation and disposal, a reputable company will put each category of waste in its own heavy-duty corrugated container with a leak-proof seal before loading it on the vehicle. Additionally, the transporter only delivers the waste to the authorized facilities, protecting the environment and people from the risks associated with medical waste.
Proper tracking of waste
Legally, you are responsible for all the medical waste generated by your facility from the time it's created until it is disposed. You are still liable for anything that happens to the waste during transportation as evidenced by the Arkansas spill whereby used gauze, needles and gloves fell off a dump truck and scattered all over a residential area. A reputable hazardous transporting company will install a tracking system in their vehicle that closely monitors your waste from the moment of pickup until it is properly disposed and rendered noninfectious. By so doing, you can be sure that the waste is not simply hauled into a landfill or a public waste system, but properly re-mediated thereby eliminating any legal liabilities to your firm.
Spillage handling
Despite all the measures put into place during transportation of medical waste, an accidental spillage might still occur. For instance, this can happen if the vehicle is involved in a collision during transportation. The most important thing when such an event occurs is cleaning the spillage site immediately without compromising environmental safety. An experienced medical waste transporting company has trained its staff on how deal with such accidents and will usually carry out the cleanup or solicit help from local agencies if necessary. In addition, they also carry a spill-kit on board of the vehicle to deal with such emergencies. It usually contains various supplies, such as a disinfectant, medical waste bags and absorbent materials, as well as personal protective equipment, such as goggles, face masks and disposable gloves. These experienced professionals will start by disinfecting the spill area before cleaning up the mess. Afterwards, they will properly dispose the protective gear and used cleaning supplies, minimizing hazards to the environment and human health.
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