Medical Waste and Sharps Disposal
Sets out how the Agency handles regulated medical (infectious) waste and sharps under the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection rules (25 Pa. Code §271.1 and Chapter 284) and OSHA: waste staff generate while giving care is regulated medical waste, while waste from the patient’s own self-care is not; segregation, red or orange bags and puncture-resistant sharps containers, labeling, storage of no more than 30 days after a container is full or sealed, transport by a licensed transporter or under the small-generator or mail-back exemptions, and teaching patients safe sharps disposal.
- Policy number
- PA-HH-IC-03
- Version
- 1.0
- Main rule
- 25 Pa. Code Chapter 284
- Library
- Pennsylvania home health · 56 policies
- Category
- Infection control
- Sections
- 17
In short
- Needles and other sharps you use go straight into a rigid, lidded sharps container, never into household trash.
- Dressings soaked or dripping with blood go into a red or orange biohazard bag.
- Close sharps containers when three-quarters full and never open or empty them.
- Teach patients who use needles at home how to dispose of them safely.
- Pick up a loose needle only with gloves and a tool, by the barrel, and report it the same day.
What's inside
17 sections. The full text comes with the One-time Policy Pack.
- Terms of Reference
- 1. Purpose
- 2. Scope
- 3. Definitions
- 4. Policy Statement (25 Pa. Code Chapter 284)
- 5. Waste Staff Generate in the Home
- 6. Sharps the Patient or Family Uses
- 7. Loose Sharps Found in the Home
- 8. Labeling and Storage at the Office
- 9. Collection and Transport
- 10. Responsibilities
- 11. Records and Compliance Monitoring
- 12. Staff Training
- 13. References
- 14. Related Policies and Forms
- 15. Approval
- 16. Revision History
An inspector may ask
- What do your nurses do with the sharps and soaked dressings from their visits?
- Who picks up your medical waste? Show me the shipping papers or logs.
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