NHS ‘care hotels’ spark hygiene and safety concerns
Recent pressures on NHS bed space secondary to high admission rates of COVID-19 patients have resulted in the establishment of several ‘care hotels’ intended to relieve pressure on bed space […]
hygiene
Discarded face masks are everywhere
Characterization of littered face masks in the southeastern part of Turkey. Akarsu C, Madenli Ö, Deveci EÜ. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2021 Apr 24. doi: 10.1007/s11356-021-14099-8. Occurrence of personal […]
Illegal human placenta trade in China using medical waste, funeral homes
The black market for human placentas is thriving in China, despite the banning of the practice more than a decade ago, an investigative report has found. People who buy fresh […]
Covid-19 infection among waste handlers
A waste centre has been blasted for a catalogue of Covid failures after a binman based there died of the virus. Mr Scott Hunter, 52, died last month after an 18-day battle at […]
Two hospital porters die of Covid-19 infection
The BBC report that a second hospital porter has sadly died from Covid-19 infection, the second Royal Stoke Hospital porter to die. Of course, this is terribly sad. Perhaps predictably […]
Covid-19 – Which hospital staff are important just now?
Physicians, anaesthetists, nurses? Perhaps surgeons, pharmacists, laboratory staff, radiologists and physiotherapists? They are all important and without them the service would crumble. So, which others are important just now, and […]
Clinical Waste Cleaner required
A position is advertised for Paisley for a Biohazard cleaner to support their project alongside the Government for COVID – 19 This role will involve: Removal of biohazard waste Disposal […]
PHE issues Coronavirus waste disposal advice
In light of the global coronavirus outbreak, Public Health England has issued advice to the public on how to deal with potentially infectious waste. Public Health England recommends all waste […]
Wuhan novel coronavirus (WN-CoV) precautions
Public Health England’s (PHE) advice to primary care services on Wuhan novel coronavirus (WN-CoV) has been updated with guidance on environmental cleaning following a possible case. Whether that will work, […]
Cromwell launch scented, antimicrobial tiger sack for clinical waste
Polythene, a specialist in sacks, bags and speciality products for the capture and containment of waste and recyclables is launching a scented and antimicrobial tiger stripe sack. The new product […]
GP surgeries forced to store clinical waste in toilets
Pulse is reporting that GP surgeries in Derbyshire are being forced to store clinical waste in toilets after missed collections. Multiple GP surgeries have had to keep clinical waste in their […]
Healthcare regulators seek clinical waste issues
As we have noted before on the Clinical Waste Discussion Forum, healthcare regulators the CQC and its Scottish equivalent frequently record issues with clinical and sharps waste handling, transport, and […]
Scots hospitals risk cross-contamination transporting clinical waste in same trolleys as sterile equipment
Hazardous clinical waste is being transported in the same hospital trolleys as sterile medical equipment — sparking fears of lethal cross-contamination. A whistleblower raised serious safety concerns after claiming roll […]
Gloves for hospital porters
Following up on a recent “expose” in which hospital porters were said to be handling clinical wastes without gloves – or were they – is another and more detailed report, […]
Unsafe waste handling in hospitals
Though we never hesitate to call out bad practice in waste handling across the commercial sector, those tasked with clinical waste management within healthcare establishments too often slip under the […]
But isn’t that their job?
An ‘outcry’ has erupted over the disposal of hazardous waste as untrained NHS staff are ordered to deal with ‘clinical rubbish’ So screams the latest Daily Record headline. “Hundreds of staff […]
Medical waste management crucial to a liveable city
THE High Court’s directive to the government on Sunday to create a separate Medical Waste Management Authority in each division by October 4 is welcome. The court gave the directive […]
Council slammed over lack of clinical waste collections
A health and safety expert has criticised Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWaC) for failing to provide a clinical waste collection service. Tony Whittaker, of Artillery Road, Saighton, said the […]
Recycled hospital waste to helpt ‘desperate’ children in Africa
Pharmaceutical firm Adcock Ingram Critical Care has joined forces with a group of local hospitals and waste management businesses to recycle medical waste in the Johannesburg area of South Africa. […]
Lab safety concerns – do they put you at risk?
An interesting and timely exclusive in The Guardian highlights the frequency of serious safety incidents in UK laboratories (NHS, private, research labs & universities, commercial) which create significant risks of […]
Sheath removal for hypodermic needles – right or wrong?
It is now universal policy in the UK, Europe, US and in many other countries to dispose used needles WITHOUT removing the sheath, or if the needle is already exposed, […]
Police search bags of hospital waste – Dundee
Police have been searching through bags of hospital waste in a bid to find a woman’s clothes as part of a probe into her death. The 50-year-old was found with […]
Shooting up: A warning for waste handlers
The Health Protection Agency have released a new Public Health England report, “Shooting Up, the annual report on infections among people who inject drugs (PWID) in the United Kingdom, has […]
Is your soap dispenser RACIST?
A video that shows an automatic bathroom soap dispenser failing to detect the hand of a dark-skinned man has gone viral and raised questions about racism in technology, as well […]
Busted for reselling waste from Chinese hospitals
In April, police found blood-stained needles and infusion bags littering the grounds of an unlicensed recycling workshop in Yangliu village, Hunan province, China. At least some of the 140 tons of […]
Shopping trolley used to transport Sanifem bins from supermarket
Two mothers claim shoppers’ groceries are at risk of contamination after footage appears to show Morrisons trolleys being used to transport bins for used sanitary products. One of the Mums claims […]
Ottawa considers needle-dispensing vending machines
Needle-dispensing vending machines could be installed at five locations across central Ottawa, making it the first city in Canada to offer sterile syringes in machines to reduce drug-related virus transmission. […]
Is that REALLY clinical waste?
When is clinical waste not clinical waste? The answer, it seems, depends on what the Local Authority want in order to bolster their argument. Perhaps this is a position that […]
Flagstaff International Relief Effort: preventing Hepatitis C infection in Mongolia
Flagstaff International Relief Effort (FIRE) are doing a great deal of good work with Hepatitis C Virus infection in Mongolia, even more so now that the cure is available at a […]
Program trains first responders and hazardous waste workers on infectious disease safety
A National Institutes of Health training program will help approximately 35,000 first responders and workers, whose jobs may expose them to infectious diseases, protect themselves while also minimizing the spread of […]