When it comes to Biomedical Waste in the state of Florida there is a lot of information (and mis information) circulating on various sites. It can be hard to sift through it all so I thought I would put together a top list of some of the lessor known facts.
Did You Know?
- There are approximately 38,000 facilities in Florida that generate biomedical waste. These include hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, laboratories, funeral homes, dentists, veterinarians, physicians, pharmacies that provide flu shots, body piercing salons, tattoo shops, transporters, and storage and treatment facilities. (Florida Health.gov)
- BioMedical Waste, (BMW), consists of solids, liquids, sharps, and laboratory waste that are potentially infectious or dangerous and are considered biowaste. (Wikipedia)
- Biohazardous waste must be kept separate. Biohazardous waste must be kept separate from other waste, and there are often other requirements about where biohazardous waste can be placed and what it can be kept near, which varies by state. (OSHA)
- Copies of hazardous waste manifests must be kept on file. Facilities need to keep copies of the signed manifest provided by the hazardous waste removal vendor following waste removal usually for a period of 5-7 years. (OSHA)
- In the United States, there are three main methods for medical waste generators to dispose of their waste: On-site, truck service, and mail-back disposal. (Wikipedia)
- The Florida Department of Health, F.A.C. 64E-16, requires any personnel who works in a Biological Safety Level 2 laboratory or in a laboratory which generates any solid or liquid waste presenting a threat of infection to humans to have Biomedical Waste Training. (FSU Biological Safety)
- Proper labeling required for biohazardous waste. Biohazardous waste must be labeled as such. The type of label and what the label needs to indicate vary by state. (OSHA)
To learn more about Biomedical Waste visit Universal Waste Managment or call 855-276-9246 to speak with the waste managment experts today.