A report from the US tells of an accidental spillage of sharps waste from a truck.

“The driver was on a routine route was unaware that a five gallon and a one quart container toppled out of his van.

“The driver said that a bystander stopped him and told him his door was open so he closed it and continued on his route. He said he was unaware of the spill.

“Another man, unrelated to the incident, stopped and picked up the containers which was earlier reported to police by a witness.

http://www.register-pajaronian.com/v2_news_articles.php?heading=0&page=72&story_id=12775

The images provided with the report certainly show some syringes and other plastic items but it is unclear if this is clinical waste as opposed to, for example, similar sharps waste from a manufacturing or craft activity.  However, the headline makes clear that this is “Spilled biological medical waste”. If this is so, the the intervention of a passer-by to collect the spilled waste, though a generous intervention, was entirely wring an the driver should have alerted him or her to keep well clear.

Also of note are the police officers sweeping the roadway to gather together the spilled wastes. Using brooms might be practical though individual sharps may become trapped in the bristles and more generally the broom heads will become contaminated. Once the spillage is cleared, they those brooms should also be safely disposed.

Perhaps vehicles carrying clinical waste should carry a suitable spill kit that includes brooms and dustpans as well as spare bags and sharps bins, litter pickers, disinfectant products, suitable sharps-resistant gloves and suitable provision for final hand hygiene when the job is done. Regulation is weak in this area, and in all probability the majority of vehicles have insufficient aids to manage anything but the smallest of spillage. Though accidents of this kind are few, there are many spillages “off the back of a lorry” as wastes are uploaded from customer premises.