samedi 14 décembre 2013

The Importance Of Efficient Medical Waste Disposal TN

By Cornelia White


The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, Division of Solid Waste Management is the authority dealing with effective methods of medical waste disposal TN. This type of rubbish includes used needles and syringes, in hospital and home environments, and there are various reasons why the correct methods of throwing these items away is very important. The main reason is that someone could contract a serious disease from these items.

People who work in hospitals are particularly at risk for accidental pricks from needles and syringes that have the potential to be infected with diseases such as hepatitis C and B, and HIV. However, other people should also be aware of how to prevent accidental needle pricks as well. The accidents usually don't occur when needles are being handled, but from when they are unexpectedly found lying around.

It is not only in hospitals that sharps need to be handled correctly. People who use them in their homes should also know how to dispose of them in the right way. Pharmacists help with this by selling containers into which used sharps can be placed, but any holder that a sharp cannot penetrate can be used. Once the sharps are put away, the holder should be further secured with a lid.

The container you use for this purpose must be labeled before it is thrown away. The label must state that it contains bio-hazardous material to warn others who may come into contact with it. Labels that have been manufactured can be used, or you can write on a piece of white masking tape with a permanent marker pen.

Now that there is a warning on the holder, it can be thrown away more safely. The holder can be put out in the trash, or taken to a landfill. In hospitals, sharps are disposed of in much the same way, but there are readily available and larger containers for the purpose. People who work in hospitals are also educated regarding the dangers of accidental pricks. Places such as the Red Cross provide education.

Latex gloves are worn by doctors and nurses to protect their hands, and other methods are employed to avoid accidents. Patients are informed of injections so that they do not get a shock. If a patient gets a fright, the needle may slip and accidentally prick the nurse. The nurse is then in danger of contracting a disease.

Needles should also be handled with care under all other circumstances. They should be passed onto another person in a portable sterile basin, rather than from hand-to-hand. When the needle has been used, it should be placed in a container that cannot be punctured, and thrown away. Large organizations such as hospitals will have hired a company to come and collect their hazardous materials on a regular basis.

Should anyone come into contact with a potentially contaminated sharp, the relevant authorities will need to be informed. This is because blood tests will need to be taken from the injured and the person who was given the injection. For the safety of all, you should ensure that you are aware of the effective ways of medical waste disposal TN.




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