HOSPITAL WASTE - Hospital Waste is the waste generated during medical research, testing, diagnosis, immunization, or treatment of either human beings or animals and is also termed as biomedical waste. Hospital waste or Biomedical waste contains infectious or potentially infectious material. These materials can include waste generated by healthcare facilities like clinics, hospitals, laboratories, medical research facilities, and veterinary clinics. Medical waste can contain bodily fluids like blood or other contaminants. All persons exposed to the hazardous biomedical waste are potentially at risk, which includes all those who either handle the waste at any stage or are exposed to it as a consequence of careless management. Infectious waste may contain a great variety of pathogenic micro-organisms. These pathogens contained in the waste may infect the human body through different ways, which includes: absorption through a cut in the skin, absorption through the mucus membrane and through inhalation or ingestion.

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Hospital Waste

Definition, Risks and Segregation Guidelines

By: Haseeb Jamal

Hospital Waste

Hospital waste or Biomedical waste are any kind of waste that contains infectious or potentially infectious material.

These materials can include waste generated by healthcare facilities like clinics, hospitals, laboratories, medical research facilities, and veterinary clinics.

Medical waste can contain bodily fluids like blood or other contaminants.

What is Hospital Waste?

It is the waste generated during medical research, testing, diagnosis, immunization, or treatment of either human beings or animals and is also termed as biomedical waste.

Risk From Hospital Waste

Persons at Risk:

All persons exposed to the hazardous biomedical waste are potentially at risk, which includes all those who either handle the waste at any stage or are exposed to it as a consequence of careless management.

Infectious waste may contain a great variety of pathogenic micro organisms.

These pathogens contained in the waste may infect the human body through different ways, which includes:

Absorption through a cut in the skin

Absorption through the mucus membrane.

Through inhalation or ingestion.

Biomedical infections are a particular concern these days, for which there is a strong evidence of transmission via the biomedical waste.

Instances of infections include HIV virus, Hepatitis B and C.

Syringes and needles are especially very dangerous because they are often contaminated with patient's blood.

Many pharmaceuticals used in hospitals are hazardous. They can cause intoxication from absorption through skin, mucus membrane and from inhalation or ingestion.

Many catatonic drugs are extremely irritant and produce harmful local effects after drugs are extremely irritant and produce harmful local effects after direct contact with the skin or eyes in addition to the more serous genetic effects.

They can cause dizziness, nausea, headache or dermatitis.

Many chemicals can be toxic, corrosive, flammable, reactive and explosive or shock sensitive. The most common injuries are burns.

Contact with skin, eyes or mucosa of the lung airways can provoke injuries.

Chemical residues discharged in the sewerage system can affect the working of biological sewage treatment plants.

Also, may have toxic effects on the natural ecosystem of recipient waters.

The type of injury caused by radioactive waste is determined by the type of exposure.

This may start from simple dizziness (feeling about to fall), headaches, vomiting and may lead to genetic effects.

Hazards from low activity waste may occur from contamination of external surfaces of contamination of external of containers or improper storage.

Waste Segregation Guidelines:

The risk waste should be segregated at the point of generation from Non-risk waste. It is useful for safe disposal of risks waste.

The process of segregation at source has two advantages

The risk waste is separated from non-risk waste which accounts for 20% of the total medical waste.

At source segregation minimizes the chances of infection and injury to the persons who handle the waste.

For the different types of hospital waste separate containers are required i. e. risk waste sharps and non-risk waste.

All the different colored containers lined with plastic bags are placed in each ward and department.

The person responsible for waste handling must do source segregation to reduce the chance of infection and lesser amount of waste to be incinerated.

Segregation must be practiced from the source of generation to handling, transportation till the final disposal.

The following steps should be observed.

All categories of risk waste other than sharps are collected in "white color" container lined with plastic bag.

The bags are sealed and labeled on site with the name of ward and location.

The sharps are stored in "Red" color hard plastic container lined with a plastic bag.

The medical staff cuts the needles of syringes making it unfit for reuse.

If the sharp container is to be incinerated, it shall be placed in the yellow waste bag with the other risk waste.

Large quantities of pharmaceutical waste shall be returned to suppliers. Small quantities may be placed in a yellow waste bag, preferably after being crushed.

Radioactive waste may be placed in large yellow container or drum and may be marked with "Radioactive" waste.

Non-infectious radioactive waste may be placed in white bags.

The non-risk waste is stored separate from all other waste and is collected in a "Blue" container with a plastic bag lining.

The blue containers should be located in the corridors open spaces and other visiting places etc.

Container Specification:

All the containers in hospital wards and department should be capable of handling waste with out spillage or puncture. 
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The 40 liters capacity containers well are sufficient for one day storage. The containers will be of hard polyethylene materials.

Haseeb Jamal

I am a Civil Engineer, graduated from University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar, Pakistan in 2010. I also have a PG-Diploma in Disaster Management and MS in Urban Infrastructure Engineering (In Progress). My expertise include civil related softwares like AutoCAD, SAP2000, MS Project, Primavera, MS Office and GIS. My technical skills include project management, monitoring and evaluation, structural assessment, disaster risk management, Quantity survey, land survey, material testing, site management and technical writing. I am trained in writing project progress reports as well as proposals and concept papers. I have also received advanced training on surveying, proposal writing, Monitoring and Evaluation of projects as well as organizations.

I have worked as Project Engineer at National Research and Development Foundation, Peshawar and CENCON Associates. I also worked with Spectra Engineering Solutions as Senior Civil Engineer in monitoring of World Bank and UNDP funded projects all over Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA. Currently, I am working as Deputy Manager Development at NayaTel, Peshawar.

https://www.aboutcivil.org/hospital-waste