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 […]
safety
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Assisted and clinical waste collections, Cornwall
The information available on local authority web pages creates an essential method of communicating waste-related news to residents and others. A recent update by Cornwall Council (http://www.cornwall.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=30535) discusses assisted and […]
Melting snow reveals discarded needles
A Thunder Bay, Ontario, woman has come across three syringes lying on the ground as the spring sun melts the snow that has lain on the ground for what is, in […]
Medical waste spillage on Australian road
A TV news report concerning clinical (medical) waste items strewn across a section of grassed roadside in Australia makes interesting listening. Last updated: Saturday, March 17, 2012
HSE evaluation of the efficacy of safer sharps devices
In what is claimed to be a systematic review and evaluation of the efficacy of ‘safer sharps devices’, HSE have recently published this work from HSL. Last updated: Saturday, February 25, 2012
Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B and C viruses among medical waste handlers
Belay Anagaw, Yitayal Shiferaw, Berhanu Anagaw, Yeshambel Belyhun, Woldearegay Erku, Fantahun Biadgelegn, Beyene Moges, Agersew Alemu, Feleke Moges & Andargachew Mulu. Seroprevalence of Hepatitis B and C viruses among medical […]
Taking work home with you?
Many waste handlers and ancillary workers inadvertently take their work home with them, on contaminated shoes and on dirty clothing. And now, it seems, so do microbiologists! Last updated: Saturday, […]
Source segregation – getting the process right
Much is said about source segregation of waste from clinical areas. A sometimes apoplectic response can be expected when inappropriate general waste items are found in an orange or yellow clinical waste […]
This septic isle?
The River Yare has been the subject of many landscape paintings by the early 19th century Norwich School of artists. There are examples in the National Gallery of Art in Washington […]
No wonder it’s so bad
Clinical waste management in the clinical environment should be managed to an exemplary standard in order to maintain hygiene standards and eliminate the hazards associated with sharps and sharps injury. But is that […]
The cost of sharps injury
The cost of a sharps injury can be great – at worst, transmission of a life-ending viral infection. However, it is important to look more generally at the cost of […]
2011 Local Authority clinical waste audit
The first part of the results of the 2011 Local Authority clinical waste audit have now been published. Dealing with the management of clinical wastes from domestic premises, this is published in […]
NICE clinical guideline – primary and community care (waste management)
The National Clinical Guideline Centre has released its latest and probably last draft of its document “Infection: prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections in primary and community care” for pre-publication […]
Biohazardous waste left behind after crashes mean mess for homeowners
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 […]
Reducing pharma waste
Cutting costs and reducing waste have been a primary focus for healthcare facilities in the years since the recession hit, prompting many to look into implementing pharmacy process improvement. US […]
Backstreet tattoos
Concern in Hartlepool about several backstreet tattooists operating there. “Several investigations have recently been carried out in Hartlepool into unregistered tattoo and piercing businesses operating out of private homes. “Those […]
Sharps injury prevention for hospital workers
A potentially interesting paper published recently in the International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics reports the incidence of sharps injuries in hospital staff in Turkey. Though the journal is […]
Storing waste in the hospital undercroft
Many UK hospitals store waste in a corner of the hospital car park. There are obvious advantages since access by large vehicles collecting that waste will generally be easier, though […]
Safe sharps disposal, or not?
“Two bin men have been seriously injured by broken glass discarded in the rubbish. “One suffered a one-and-a-half inch gash to his arm from a broken bottle sticking out of […]