Laserfiche WebLink
MANAGEMENT OF INFECTIOUS WASTE <br />Objective <br />In accordance with Tittle 22, JCAH and the California Health and Safety Code <br />25117.5, Tracy Hospital will incorporate the following policy for the <br />definition, coiiection, handling and treatment of infectious waste. <br />Definition of Infectious Waste <br />There is no epidemiologic evidence to suggest that most hospital waste is <br />anymore infective than residential waste. Moreover, there is no epidemiologic <br />evidence that hospital Waste has caused disease in the community as a result of <br />improper disposal. Therefore, identifying wastes for which special precautions <br />are indicated is largely a matter of judgement about the relative risk of <br />disease transmission. The most practical approach to the management of <br />infectious waste is to identify those wastes with the potential for causipg <br />infection during handling and disposal and for when some special precautions <br />appear prudent. Hospital wastes for which special precautions appear prudent <br />include microbiology laboratory waste, pathology waste, and blood specimens or <br />blood products. While any item that has had contact with blood, exudates, or <br />secretions may be potentially infective, it is not usually considered practical <br />or necessary to treat all such waste as infective (23.26). Infective waste, in <br />general, should either be incinerated or should be autoclaved before disposal <br />in a sanitary landfill. Bulk blood, suctioned fluids, excretions, and <br />secretions may be carefully poured down a drain connected to a sanitary sewer. <br />Sanitary sewers may also be used to dispose of other infectious wastes capable <br />of being ground and flushed into the sewer? (MMWR 36 (suppl. 25) 35-185 1987, <br />August 21.) <br />Infectious waste at Jracy,. Hospital is defined as follows: <br />1. Pathological,afnd surgical waste. <br />2: Clinical and other biological laboratory wastes. <br />3. Sharps (needles, syringes, blades, files, ampules, etc.). <br />4. Human dialysis waste materials including arterial lines and dialyzate <br />merabranes. <br />5. Fluid-filled containers (auto transfusion systems, underwater seal drainage <br />systems, hemovacs, suction cannisters, etc.) <br />6. Blood, blood products. <br />