Heatwave
The weather has been topsy-turvey for a few years now and the predictions, or should that be the expectations, are that the trend will continue. While winters may be wetter and […]
clinical waste discussion forum
Hospital worker makes needlestick compensation claim
9th May 2012 Suffering a needlestick injury can be extremely distressing for anyone affected. Solicitors recently represented a hospital employee who was injured at work in this way and he received compensation. Safety […]
The Sharps Terminator
The Sharps Terminator is a new(ish) product that is to all intents a reworking of slightly older technologies which aimed to put sharps destruction onto the desktop. We have discussed these […]
Difficult contract terms
Flagged up by the Waste Management Networking group of LinkedIn, the BBC are reporting some disquiet over the contract terms imposed by PHS Wastetech. Accused of bullying small businesses by using unfair […]
Safety syringes/needles – an additional hygiene and safety problem?
Having spent an hour or so in each of two busy hospital phlebotomy rooms last week it was interesting to observe the approach to newly introduced safety needle devices. Using […]
Clinical (medical) waste in Saskatoon landfill
Saskatoon is in the middle of nowhere – quite literally, it is located in the most central part of Canada and has few, if any, close neighbours. This makes a particularly […]
Technical proposal for the review of hazardous properties
The assessment of the ‘hazardousness’ of wastes is done based on Decision 2000/532/EC on the List of Waste (LOW) and Annex III to Directive 2008/98/EC on waste, which defines the properties […]
Ambulance company accused of dumping medical waste
The Capital District Ambulance Service is accused of dumping medical waste in abandoned ambulances. CBS6 has learned that DGS workers who were performing routine maintenance found bags of blood-soaked rags and dirty […]
US community sharps incidents
Calrecycle have reported a collection of sharps-related incidents reported in the news: Boy, 7, pricks himself with a syringe he found on an Oakland play yard Beach Closed After Hypodermic Needles […]
Safe Management of Healthcare Waste v2
Version 2 of the Safe Management of Healthcare Waste guide is now available on Space for Health (http://www.spaceforhealth.nhs.uk/). All 402 pages are there for your consideration, including much poor science and […]
Alcohol hand rubs
There have been several reports recently, from at least 4 different countries including the UK, of teenagers and others sneaking into hospitals and other places where alcohol hand rub dispensers […]
Clinical waste sacks – do we need a better standard?
Packaging Today reports that UK-based Cromwell Polythene is relaunching its clinical waste sacks range, using ‘star seal’ technology to maximise carrying capacity, while optimising leak resistance. The range makes use of […]
LA guidance notes for clinical waste segregation and storage
LB Barnet have been working hard to update their clinical waste information for community producers. Their recently published GN 5 – Guidance Notes for Storage and Disposal of Clinical Waste explains the […]
NHS Trust outsources total waste management package
East Cheshire NHS Trust has outsourced all of its waste management to SRCL. In a predictably upbeat news release, it is reported that the Trust has become the first organisation to […]
Pilot program recycles hospital gloves and garments
News of another pilot program to recycle hospital gloves and non-woven polypropylene gowns, garments and disposable curtains, this time in the US. These initiatives are worthy of support though presently […]
Claim for sharps injury tops $600,000 AS
Sharps injury claims are increasing in frequency of reported injuries increase and the legal professions start to see these actions as profitable. Average payouts to claimants have generally been low, […]
Contaminated needle and syringe found as kids take part in community clean-up nearby
“A used needle and syringe “heavily contaminated” with blood were discovered while 100 children took part in a community litter-pick near a primary school. “The discarded needle was found during […]
National sales manager – clinical waste & sharps containers
National Sales Manager Midlands & North of England £45k basic plus Excellent Bonus, Company Car and Excellent Benefits. A market leading, innovative, medical device company that has led the way […]
Your waste, your responsibility
It is a truism that, at all times “Your waste [is] your responsibility”. Nobody would argue with that but sometimes this creates a precedent against which the blameless can be unfairly measured. […]
Hepatitis C from sharps injury
Thanks to David Ritchie of Ritchies Training Centre, Glasgow, for news that three medical workers have caught Hepatitis C after ‘jagging’ themselves on dirty needles. They were infected with the virus – […]
Comprehensive survey of sharps injury: Massachusetts
Colleagues in Massachusetts deserve commendation for their great diligence in collating detailed statistics on the incidence and circumstances of sharps injury among healthcare workers in that State. The level of […]
HIV from sharps injury
It is becoming increasingly common to downplay or overlook completely the possibility of bloodborne virus infection after sharps injury or other blood or bloodstained body fluid exposure. The low incidence of […]
Community clinical waste problems?
In a remarkably no-news item appearing in the Huddersfield Daily Examiner, an elderly pensioner complains that he unexpectedly received a bright yellow clinical waste bin and four ‘huge bags’ delivered to […]
Well done Biffa
A total of £5,024.44 has been donated to East Anglia Air Ambulance as part of the recycling and waste management company’s charity scheme related to health & safety performance. Each […]
Implementing EU Directive 2010/32/EU
Many Trusts and smaller organisations including PCTs and GP surgeries are struggling to implement EU Directive 2010/32/EU, or are they dragging their heels to delay the additional expenditure that will be inevitable? […]
Sharps safety training and posters
Many waste managers and their clinical colleagues will know the value of sharps safety training that is supported by additional posters and logos etc placed prominently by general waste and sharps […]
How safe are safety needles?
The Clinical Waste Discussion Forum has previously considered the risks to ancillary workers and waste handlers of sharps carelessly discarded in clinical waste sacks or laundry, or spilled from inadequately sealed […]
Hospital porter killed by industrial waste compactor
A national cleaning company has been fined £175,000 after a hospital porter was killed by an industrial waste compactor in Bolton. The man’s neck was broken when the lid on the large […]
Occupational syphilis
Sounding more like a troublesome consequence of prostitution, ‘occupational syphilis’ has been recorded in a recent report from the US. Previous reports have described many cases of occupational syphilis in […]
Winter vomiting virus
Though the winder has <<so far>> been uncharacteristically mild, outbreaks of winter vomiting virus have been as frequent as ever. Hospitals have reported a substantial number of outbreaks, and these have […]