Medical Waste Management Plan – All generators of infectious medical waste

Medical Waste Management Plan – All generators of infectious medical waste and medical waste shall have a medical waste management plan that shall include, but is not limited to, the following: 1. Storage and Containment of Infectious Medical Waste and Medical Waste a. Containment of infectious medical waste and medical waste shall be in a manner and location which affords protection from animals, rain and wind, does not provide a breeding place or a food source for insects and rodents, and minimizes exposure to the public. b. Infectious medical waste shall be segregated from other waste at the point of origin in the producing facility. c. Unless approved by the Mississippi State Department of Health or treated and rendered non-infectious, infectious medical waste (except for sharps in approved containers) shall not be stored at a waste producing facility for more than seven days above a temperature of 60 C (38 degrees F). Containment of infectious medical waste at the producing facility is permitted at or below a temperature of 0 degrees C (32 degrees F) for a period of not more than 90 days without specific approval of the Department of Health. d. Containment of infectious medical waste shall be separate from other wastes. Enclosures or containers used for containment of infectious medical waste shall be so secured so as to discourage access by unauthorized persons and shall be marked with prominent warning signs on, or adjacent to, the exterior of entry doors, gates, or lids. Each container shall be prominently labeled with a sign using language to be determined by the Department and legible during daylight hours. e. Infectious medical waste, except for sharps capable of puncturing or cutting, shall be contained in double disposable plastic bags or single bags (1.5 mills thick) which are impervious to moisture and have strength sufficient to preclude ripping, tearing, or bursting under normal conditions of usage. The bags shall be securely tied so as to prevent leakage or expulsion of solid or liquid waste during storage, handling or transport. f. All sharps shall be contained for disposal in leak proof, rigid, puncture-resistant containers which are taped closed or tightly lidded to preclude loss of the contents. g. All bags used for containment and disposal of infectious medical waste shall be of distinctive color or display the Universal Symbol for infectious waste. Rigid containers of all sharps waste shall be labeled. h. Compactors or grinders shall not be used to process infectious medical waste unless the waste has been rendered non-infectious. Sharps containers shall not be subject to compaction by any compacting device except in the institution itself and shall not be placed for storage or transport in a portable or mobile trash compactor. i. Infectious medical waste and medical waste contained in disposable containers, as prescribed above, shall be placed for storage, handling or transport in disposable or reusable pails, cartons, drums or portable bins. The containment system shall be leak proof, have tight-fitting covers and be kept clean and in good repair. j. Reusable containers for infectious medical waste and medical waste shall be thoroughly washed and decontaminated each time they are emptied by a method specified by the Mississippi State Department of Health, unless the surfaces of the containers have been protected from contamination by disposable liners, bags, or other devices removed with the waste, as outlined in E. k. Approved methods of decontamination include, but are not limited to, agitation to remove visible soil combined with one or more of the following procedures: i. Exposure to hot water at least 180 F for a minimum of 15 seconds. ii. Exposure to a chemical sanitizer by rinsing with or immersion in one of the following for a minimum of 3 minutes: a. Hypochlorite solution (500 ppm available chlorine). b. Phenolic solution (500 ppm active agent). c. Iodoform solution (100 ppm available iodine). d. Quaternary ammonium solution (400 ppm active agent). l. Reusable pails, drums or bins used for containment of infectious waste shall not be used for containment of waste to be disposed of as non-infectious waste or for other purposes except after being decontaminated by procedures as described in part (J) of this section. m. Trash chutes shall not be used to transfer infectious medical waste. n. Once treated and rendered non-infectious, previously defined infectious medical waste will be classified as medical waste and may be landfilled in an approved landfill.