BIOMEDICAL WASTE HANDLING PROCEDURE

BIOMEDICAL WASTE HANDLING PROCEDURE

ap8453.04Adopted May 9, 2014

8453.04 - BIOMEDICAL WASTE HANDLING PROCEDURE

Plant Operations Department 9560 (Office of Environmental Health & Safety)

The Office of EH&S shall do the following:

  1. Maintain an operating budget as necessary to pay for contracted Biomedical Waste (BW) containerizing, transport, and disposal services. Review invoices and pay for services rendered.

  2. Work with the Brevard Public Schools (BPS) Purchasing Department as necessary to retain professional services from local/regional business through term contracting.

  3. Provide guidance and support to schools/sites and perform quality control inspections for compliance.

Schools/Sites

All school and ancillary sites shall do the following:

  1. Maintain a BW disposal box and a sharps container box on site. They are typically kept in the Health Clinic or the Administration Office.

  2. Order replacement BW containers when needed. The current pick-up and disposal service provider is:

    SteriCycle, Inc. Business Registration ID #: 7217

    1. To schedule pick-up of a near full (standard fifteen (15) gallon) biomedical waste box and/or a (standard one (1) gallon) sharps container:

      dial 1-866-783-7422 Customer Service, Direct Line –reference Account Number 8199123.

      Upon pick-up, the vendor/driver will exchange the biomedical waste box, but is not permitted to provide a replacement sharps container.

    2. To place an order for a replacement sharps container:

      dial 1-800-355-8773 (phone option #3: for third-day delivery by mail: reference Account Number 8199123).

  3. Make sure both the BW box and the sharps container are readily available for vendor pick up as/when scheduled (during regular school business hours).

  4. Make sure the sharps container box remains in a secure location and is not prone to be stolen. According to the Local Health Department, there remains a viable black-market for stolen/reused hypodermic needles/syringes.

  5. Keep a simple log of approximate weight of the BW box when full. By use of a gravimetric scale, one shall write down the weight and the date when the container is declared full. The reason for this is to determine how much waste is generated monthly from the specific school/site. If the school/site generates more than twenty-five (25) pounds of BW within a month, then the school/site will lose its BW operator exemption status with the local health department, and be subjected to permitting fees and more stringent regulatory requirements imposed by the State/local health department (on a twelve (12) month cycle basis). Transportation and disposal records can be used to verify site specific weight levels over time. Like all other related documentation, disposal weight log data must be maintained on file at the school/site for three (3) years. The school shall keep their copy of the Health Department Certificate of Biomedical Waste Generator Exception (form DH-4089) posted in the school/site health clinic or administration office. Call the local health department and request a replacement exemption certificate if the original certificate becomes illegible due to age, etc. Failure to maintain a BW weight log places the school/site in jeopardy of being declared a non-exempt BW generator, and subject to permitting fees.

    Some schools have posted the Biomedical Waste Transporter (service provider’s) business license and permit certificates (issued by the Florida Department of Health) on the wall in the school building. Displaying these records is acceptable, but not necessary.

    Do not place animal specimen materials in the BW box. This was a practice recommended by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in 2007 as a means of disposing of science education biological animal waste, though it was never a regulatory requirement for handling animal waste. Adding animal waste to the school/site’s BW may result in exceeding the twenty-five (25) pound per month threshold, and compromise the school/site’s BW operations exemption status with the local health department. All school science generated animal waste may be discarded as general industry waste (trash) in school dumpsters. Best practice is to contact the EH&S Office and make special arrangements for disposal of science education animal waste in the local landfill.

  6. Provide yearly safety training information to all site-based employees who handle BW. It is the site-based administrator’s responsibility to determine which site-based employees are designated to handle BW. Any/All newly designated employees shall be provided training prior to assigning them with BW handling tasks. Please see the BPS Bloodborne Pathogen and Hazard Communication Procedure document (AP 8453.03) for more information related to BW safety training.

    Best practice is to keep the BW training records with similar training
    records associated with the school/site’s Hazard Exposure and Biomedical Waste Control Plan and Bloodborne Pathogen Awareness Training and Hazard Communications Awareness Training records.

  7. Keep personal protective equipment/supplies (i.e., rubber gloves, goggles, etc) on-hand for designated clean-up staff.

  8. Keep spill response clean-up supplies (i.e., paper towels, rags, drysorb granules, diluted bleach, disinfectant, etc) on-hand for expedient clean-up of blood, body tissue, and/or bodily fluids resulting from occupant injury, occupant medical incident, etc.

Contracted Service Provider

The contracted service provider shall:

  1. pick-up all containers at all sites during the first two (2) weeks in June (end of each school year) & replace with new/empty container. The school/site shall make sure the clinic room and both containers are readily accessible for vendor pick-up during school business hours;

  2. pick-up near full containers whenever contacted by individual school/sites;

    The service provider shall pick-up special orders within three (3) business days of being contacted by phone. Upon pick-up, the vendor/driver will exchange the BW box but will not provide a replacement sharps container.

  3. provide schools with replacement sharps containers when contacted by phone.

    The service provider shall mail replacement sharps containers (vendor/driver will not exchange sharps containers, but will exchange the BW box) within three (3) business days of phone order.

Applicability

This procedure is written pursuant to the following:

  1. BPS Board Policy 8453 – Control of Bloodborne Pathogens

  2. F.A.C. 64E-16 (Biomedical Waste)

© Brevard County Public Schools 2014