WAC 296-823-14060   Handle regulated waste properly and safely.  

     Definition:

     Regulated waste is any of the following:

     • Liquid or semiliquid blood or other potentially infectious materials (OPIM)

     • Contaminated items that would release blood or OPIM in a liquid or semiliquid state, if compressed

     • Items that are caked with dried blood or OPIM and are capable of releasing these materials during handling

     • Contaminated sharps

     • Pathological and microbiological wastes containing blood or OPIM.

     You must:

     • Discard contaminated sharps immediately, or as soon as possible, in containers that are all of the following:

     – Closable

     – Puncture resistant

     – Leakproof on sides and bottom

     – Appropriately labeled or color-coded

     – Easily accessible to personnel

     – Located as close as feasible to the immediate area where sharps are used or areas sharps can be reasonably anticipated to be found (for example, laundries)

     – Maintained upright throughout use

     – Replaced routinely and not allowed to overfill.

Exemption:

Work areas such as correctional facilities, psychiatric units, pediatric units, or residential homes may have difficulty placing sharps containers in the immediate use area. In such situations, alternatives such as using lockable containers or bringing containers in and out of the work area may be used.

Note:

For additional information on placement and use of sharps containers see Selecting, Evaluating, and Using Sharps Disposal Containers, NIOSH Publication 97-111, January 1998. You can obtain a copy of this publication by calling 1-800-35-NIOSH or get an electronic version in pdf at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/publistd.htm.

     You must:

     • Make sure when you move containers of contaminated sharps, the containers are:

     – Closed prior to removal or replacement to prevent spilling or protrusion of contents during handling, storage, transport, or shipping; and

     – Placed in a secondary container, if leaking is possible. The second container must be:

     ▪ Closable

     ▪ Constructed to contain all contents and prevent leakage during handling, storage, transport, or shipping

     ▪ Appropriately labeled or color-coded.

     • Make sure regulated waste other than sharps is placed in containers that are all of the following:

     – Closable

     – Constructed to contain all contents and prevent leakage of fluids during handling, storage, transport, or shipping

     – Closed prior to removal to prevent spillage or protrusion of contents during handling, storage, transport, or shipping

     – Placed in a second container if outside contamination of the primary regulated waste container occurs.

     ▪ The second container must meet these requirements.

     – Appropriately labeled or color-coded.

     • Dispose of all regulated waste according to applicable state and county regulations.



[Statutory Authority: RCW 49.17.010, 49.17.040, 49.17.050, and 49.17.060. 04-12-070, § 296-823-14060, filed 6/1/04, effective 9/1/04; 03-09-110, § 296-823-14060, filed 4/22/03, effective 8/1/03.]