Tips For Sharps Disposal in Winter Garden and Alafaya, FL

 Discarding sharp items by throwing them into ordinary garbage or trash containers is a strict no-no. On the contrary, schools, laboratories, and health facilities must take special care to ensure the removal of all used and tainted sharp items to ensure compliance with local and state rules. One cannot take this responsibility lightly either. Sharps disposal in Winter Garden and Alafaya, FL, is of the utmost importance and requires close attention to detail by the authorities. 

 One of the things that one must be aware of is the types of items that have been described as sharps. According to the “Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA),” a sharp object is a contaminated item capable of piercing the skin. Almost all healthcare facilities and research laboratories have contaminated sharps on their premises. It would be foolhardy to be in close touch with them due to the risk of spreading deadly infection via the sharps. The following that the professionals and caregivers use are recognized as biomedical sharp wastes that need to be discarded per the protocol:

· Hypodermic needles

· Scalpels

· Syringes such as insulin syringes for diabetic patients

· Wires, including dental wires

· Lancets

How to Dispose the Sharps

All sharps contaminated inside the facility must be segregated and collected in a special sharps container as approved by the FDA. The facility must source such containers in bulk to ensure they are always handy. The sharps containers that are filled must be moved out of the facility and transported to the designated area for proper disposal. 

It is essential to understand that some of the biomedical wastes that contaminate the sharps must also be treated to render them incapable of spreading infection. The most common methods for treating contaminated sharps at a facility/laboratory include the following:-

· Autoclaving

· Incineration

· Transportation to the nearest landfill

Regulation of Sharps Wastes

Sharps waste management is regulated by several organizations in different aspects. Notable among the regulatory authorities are the following:-

· The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) looks after the impact of hazardous wastes on the environment

· The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has a standard in place to ensure safety for workers handling contaminated objects, including sharps

· Local or statutory bodies look after other significant impacts of biohazards and sharps that affect the health of the users, visitors, and populace of the state

The steps to keep track of and compliance with the regulatory organizations are extremely challenging. This has led the facilities to outsource the disposal process to dedicated and certified third-party companies adept at picking up, transporting, and properly disposing of such wastes. Regularly connecting to such companies for biowaste disposal in Winter Garden and Alafaya, FL, is also advisable. Such a move helps the facilities to remain compliant with the standards and continue hassle-free operation without facing any risks of having their licenses revoked.