Sharps waste can be messy business, thats why disposing of them must be done appropriately.

A sharp is  a form of medical waste which includes any object used to puncture or lacerate the skin. It is a misconception that sharps waste is comprised of anything that is sharp enough to potentially pierce or lacerate the skin, it is in fact only items that are intended to be used in such a way. There is no room for error when disposing of sharp items as there is a danger of harm as well as the legislative consequences if not handled accordingly. These 5 W’s (Who, What, When, Where, Why) depict all you need to know about sharps waste and how it should be disposed of.

 

Who

Who produces sharps waste?

Sharp waste can be produced by a lot of different businesses. Sharps waste eligible items can be used by certain business as much as 10-30 times a day or just once. As mentioned, there can be other businesses who requires sharps waste disposal, but the main types of workers who produce sharps waste are as follows:

 

  • Tattooists

  • Chiropodists

  • Beauty Therapists

  • Nurses

  • Doctors

 

What

What items should be included in sharps waste bins?

 It’s important to make sure you’re binning the correct items in your sharps waste bin.

 

  • Needles

  • Scalpels

  • Stitch cutters

  • Glass ampoules

  • Sharp instruments

  • Syringes

  • Lancets

  • Razor blades

 

It is also required that any attachment of syringe or injection devices be binned as well. This can include the tube or vacutainer.

 

Where

Where can you dispose the waste?

 The safest way to dispose of sharps is to put them into a sharps box, these can be provided by your GP, a specialist contractor or a pharmacy.

Did you know: These bins have a specially designed lid, ensuring it fits any sharp items in, and also makes sure they are out of danger to anyone.

It is important to get these waste bins collected from you by a specialist collection service. Most waste disposal contractors provide a professional service for sharps waste and can also help you to devise the best plan for you, as well as offering some of their industry knowledge on how to best tackle your sharps waste.

 

When

When should it be collected?

 This is something that will be arranged with your contractor.

Most workplaces who use sharp waste items will have them collected and replaced regularly. Most contractors collect weekly but can be arranged to suit the customers needs depending on their disposal amount of sharps waste.

 

Why

Why do you need sharps waste bins?

 There are three main reasons why disposing of sharps waste is necessary, they are:

 

  • The health risk of leaving sharps waste items exposed

  • Environmental benefits

  • Legislation

 

As sharp items are used to puncture or lacerate the skin, the risk of exposure to someone else can be dangerous, infections and runs the risk of spreading diseases or illnesses. As well as eliminating the danger of possible infections/diseases, disposing of sharp items in the appropriate bins means the items can be recycled using the capable technologies that most modern waste service companies have.

 Keeping on top of both sharps waste legislation and the Hazardous Waste Regulations 2005can be a bit of a nightmare. As the dangers of sharps waste not being dealt with appropriately is clearly apparent, the law ensures that right measures are taken to minimize any risk. The ultimate objective of the waste regulations is to improve waste management and better protect human health and the environment as a whole.

 

Your contractor should provide you with a full Duty of Care certificate, this will mean you can prove your legal compliance whenever necessary.

 

Safe, sharp knowledge

So it’s quite clear, weather you use sharp items in your workplace regularly or every so often you still need to be compliant with the law and making sure you, other employees, customers and patients are all kept safe. Using an experienced contractor to carry out your waste disposal is essential, as their knowledge will be imperative to making sure you deal with the sharps waste accordingly, professionally and safely.

 

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