Residents in Charlotte, NC are concerned about clinical wastes left at the scene of a motor vehicle accident, drawing attention to what one man calls a gap in the law.

A photo of a grassy area in the 6500 block of Old Concord Road showed rolls of bloody gauze and used medical gloves left behind after emergency workers treated seven patients involved in a head-on collision.

The leftover waste raised questions about who is responsible for cleaning up debris and biohazardous waste after a car accident.

http://www.wbtv.com/story/16373605/biohazardous-waste-left-behind-after-crashes-mean-mess-for-homeowners

It’s a not uncommon problem, and one that we raised on the Clinical Waste Discussion Forum several years ago. When large volumes of blood are spilled, the fire service of Local Authority will hose down the roadway but solid wastes are generally more troublesome.

Most of the generally small amount of solid wastes left at an accident scene – and most often there are none – will be left to blow in the wind until, perhaps, they are removed as part of routine street cleansing procedures.

Most reasonable people would believe that would suffice. After all, the only real concern should be the welfare of those who have been injured. Is there a hazard? Are there and adverse health and safety implications? Realistically, no there are not, unless of course there are discarded sharps.

The big question is why, given that most ambulance service staff have two hands each, is it so often that apart from an occasional wrapper from sterile supplies, there often seems to be just one discarded glove?