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SAN JOAQUIN COUNTY HEALTH CARE SERVICES POST OFFICE BOX 1020 STOCKTON. CALIFORNIA 95201 • TELEPHONE 982-1800 June 28, 1983 Jack J. Williams, M.D. District Health Officer San Joaquin Local Health District 1601 East Hazelton Avenue Stockton, CA 95201 Dear Doctor Williams: Reference: Title 22, Division 5, Chapter 1, Article 8. Section 7084.3' On behalf of San Joaquin General Hospital, I would like to request that we be granted program flexibility for Paragraph C of the above mentioned section of the California Administrative Code. As required by Section 70843, Paragraph. C, hospital person- nel currently rensier a.11 syringes and. needles unusable by severing the needle from the syringe at the hub with a standard Ildestructol' clip. Both the needle and syringe are placed in a. cardboard box which is collected when full by the Central Sterile Supply Depart- ment. The Boxes are then consolidated in large autoclavable bags which are then steam sterilized. As a fina.l.precaution following steam sterilization, all bags are then disposed of with the hospi- tal infectious waste in a. Class II .sanitary landfill. Our new plan for disposing of all needles and syringes will be to collect the needles and syringes intact in rigid, puncture - proof containers. Each container will have a. one-way opening which will prevent the removal of any syringe or needle. When full, these containers will be closed with heavy plastic threaded caps. which cannot be removed once they are sealed. Full contain- ers will be collected and consolidated in large autoclavable bags which will then be steam sterilized at a temperature sufficient to melt the syringe plunger and render the syringe and needle unusable. Again, as an added precaution, a7.1 processed contain- ers will then be disposed of with the hospital infectious waste in a Class II sanitary landfill. The revised procedure summarized above is intended to reduce the potential for employees to receive puncture wounds.due to excessive handling of needles and syringes. Having tested the new containers on a trial basis, the Infection Control end Safety Committees have found the new disposal containers far superior to the standard I'destructo" clip system.