Biohazard waste sounds like something from a sci-fi movie to those who do not know anything about it. In reality, biohazard waste is nothing more than regulated medical waste. It includes anything that may be contaminated with infectious substances.
For instance, sharps (needles and scalpels), personal protective equipment (PPE), human tissue, and lab specimens can all be contaminated. This is why properly disposing of these elements is crucial. Medical facilities need biohazard waste disposal services to ensure safety. They’ll protect their patients, staff, the public, and the environment.
If a medical facility neglects this responsibility, the repercussions can be devastating.
1. Increased Risk of Infections and Disease Transmission
Biohazard waste can spread infectious diseases if not managed or disposed of properly. Sharps put healthcare workers and the public at risk. This is because pathogens can survive on contaminated materials for a long time.
Those who come into contact with this waste run the risk of contracting Hepatitis B or C and even HIV.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a damning report in 2023. The report found that healthcare facilities have thousands of needle stick injuries yearly. These injuries often happen because sharps are not separated from other waste.
This is why it is so important for medical facilities to follow the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). This standard mandates using labeled, puncture-proof containers for sharps and other biohazard waste.
2. Legal and Financial Consequences
In the U.S., federal, state, and local regulations govern biohazard waste disposal. These agencies have specific regulations for storing, handling, and disposing biohazard waste.
A medical facility may face legal and financial penalties if it does not follow these regulations.
In 2023, Kaiser Permanente received a $49 million fine. It illegally disposed of medical waste and private medical records. The investigation into the company’s practices started in 2015. It found that drugs, syringes, vials, and other devices still filled with blood and bodily fluids were disposed of in dumpsters. These dumpsters ended up in landfills in California.
This breach of regulations puts everyone at risk. These included patients, healthcare workers, custodians, and sanitation workers.
3. Environmental Contamination
Kaiser Permanente’s lack of judgment also put the environment at risk. Improperly disposed of biohazard waste can harm the environment in several ways.
Harmful chemicals and pathogens can leach into the soil and water supply. Additionally, biohazard waste is often incinerated without proper measures. Doing this releases toxic emissions into the atmosphere. This contributes to air pollution and climate change.
An Environmental Protection Agency study found that improper waste disposal contributed to elevated contamination levels in groundwater near various landfills. The contaminants included heavy metals and medical waste pathogens. It posed long-term hazards to the ecosystem and those relying on the water supply.
4. Public Health and Safety Hazard
Improperly managed biohazard waste does not always end up in landfills only. Punctured bags or inadequate containers often find their way into public spaces. Here, they expose the general public to hazardous materials.
There have been several instances where discarded, contaminated needles turned up on beaches and in parks. This is a huge risk to humans and animals alike.
During the last pandemic, an increase in improperly discarded PPE happened. These included masks, gloves, and gowns. While dirty PPE is not medical waste in the true sense of the word, it still poses a risk to affected communities.
Medical facilities must invest in properly packaging, labeling, and transporting biohazard waste. They must comply with Department of Transport regulations for waste transport. These facilities should also ensure that waste handlers follow best practices.
5. Reputational Damage
Once a healthcare facility is proven to neglect biohazard waste management, it ruins its reputation. This leads to a loss of public trust, outrage, and ongoing negative media coverage.
When the public no longer trusts a hospital or clinic, they will find an alternative for medical care. When this happens, the facility suffers financial losses on top of reputational damage.
All healthcare institutions must prioritize accountability for biohazard waste management. There should be a focus on waste storage and staff training. They should also hire the best waste management specialists.
One Bad Decision Can Have Terrible Consequences
Neglecting medical waste management can put public health and the environment at risk. All healthcare facilities must follow best practices for medical waste management. Best practices protect staff, patients, sanitation workers, the ecosystem, and entire communities.
The best way to avoid issues is to partner with a reputable medical waste disposal service. This ensures safety and compliance with the law.
2 thoughts on “5 Risks of Neglecting Proper Biohazard Waste Management”
I don’t know about Arizona, but the CDC in California required that medical and dental offices hire licensed waste-removal companies to pick up used biohazard materials and that records be kept of such removals. Failure to follow the regulations resulted in fines and possible practice license removal.
It was the responsibility of the offices to ensure that the proper removal of biohazard materials
be accomplished by office personnel assigned to perform that task and that daily records reflect the removal. Records of lawful hazardous waste disposals were required to be immediately available from medical/dental offices.
One more thing: Offices were not required to inform patients about hazardous waste disposal practices. If asked, offices could report what they wished, but I doubt that personnel would
en masse outright lie about how they disposed of used needles and other bio waste. I was in dental practice for 35 years, and our staff was instructed to be truthful about our lawful and proper disposal practice of bio waste. The article states that….”When the public no longer trusts a hospital or clinic, they will find an alternative for medical care. When this happens, the facility suffers financial losses on top of reputational damage.” What it fails to mention is that the public won’t know about breaches of trust unless an investigation is published in the news media. I never heard of a medical or dental facility bragging that they didn’t follow proper/legal biohazard waste disposal methods, and question why the article didn’t point out how the “public would no longer trust a hospital or clinic” unless such a breach of trust were made public in the first place. As for me, I would ask the office about their biohazard waste disposal practices, hoping they would be truthful.
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