Safe Management of Healthcare Waste

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Safe Management of Healthcare Waste

• Eamonn Prendergast
• Hazardous Waste Unit
• defra

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STARTING POINT

• Safe Disposal of clinical waste
• Health Services Advisory Committee

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HEALTHCARE WASTE STAKEHOLDER FORUM

• Existing body which met on a regular basis to
  discuss healthcare waste issues
• Already contained most key stakeholders

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• Landfill Directives
• WEEE Directives
• Hazardous Waste Directives
• Restrictions on Hazardous Substances Directive
• Waste Incinerator Directives
• Community Healthcare Waste (clinical waste)
• National waste strategies
• Strategy and other documents for NHS in Scotland
• Northern Ireland waste documentation
• Sharps waste disposal
• Disposal of PoMs
• Treatment and disposal plant /alternative
  technologies
• Licensing arrangements and waste disposal
• Duty of care requirements
• Transport and carriage of dangerous goods
• Waste containers standardisation, colour coding
  and labelling
• CJD/TSE/Prions and how this affects waste
  disposal
• Health and safety implications security and
  safety
• Training and awareness

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STEERING GROUP

• Enviros Consulting
• NHS Estates PASA (NHS Procurement)
• Health Safety Executive
• Scottish Environment Protection Agency
• Environment Agency
• Environment Heritage Service For Northern
  Ireland
• DEFRA
• Welsh Health Estates
• Swansea Trust
• Scottish Property Environment Forum Executive
• Health Estates Northern Ireland
• Health Protection Agency

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OBJECTIVES 1

• Comprehensive
• Accessible
• User friendly

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SECTOR GUIDES

• Community Nursing
• Research and Laboratory Facilities
• Ambulance Service
• Funeral services

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OBJECTIVES 2

• Provide Unified Approach to Definitions and
  Classifications
• Serve as Classification Assessment tool
• Provide revised colour coded packaging and
  segregation system

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Working groups
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• CONSULTATION
• PEER REVIEW
• PUBLICATION

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CHANGING TERMINOLOGY

• HAZARDOUS/SPECIAL
• CLINICAL
• OFFENSIVE
• BLACK BAG

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SPECIAL WASTE REGIME
SPECIAL 2
CLINICAL 98
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HAZARDOUS WASTE REGIME
OFFENSIVE
HAZARDOUS
BLACK BAG
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CONSEQUENCES

• More wastes in most dangerous category
• Higher costs of disposal
• Incentive to segregate at source

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OFFENSIVE 33
HAZARDOUS 33
BLACK BAG 33
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LICENSING EXEMPTIONS

• 11 - Preparatory Treatments
• 22 - Recovery of silver
• 18 - Storage in secure containers
• 39 - Storage of medicines medical, nursing and
  veterinary waste
• 40 - Storage not at site of production
• 41 - Storage at site of production

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Main features

• Builds upon and updates subject matter of Purple
  Book to reflect legislative change
• Utilises stakeholder expertise in range of
  healthcare settings
• Provides first point of call and point of
  reference for anyone seeking advice on the
  handling of healthcare waste throughout UK

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RECOMMENDATIONS

• New methodology for identifying and classifying
  infectious and medicinal waste
• Revised colour coded segregation and packaging
  system
• Use of EWC codes and elimination of A to E
  categorisation of clinical
• New category of offensive waste