School of Medicine Nephropathology Laboratory: Disposal of Regulated Medical Waste and Infectious Sharps

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School of Medicine Nephropathology Laboratory: Disposal of Regulated Medical Waste and Infectious Sharps

 

NOTE: This section is intended as a supplement to the McLendon Clinical Laboratories Safety Manual, a copy of which is available in each laboratory and by intranet access. Employees are expected to be familiar with the contents of the departmental safety manual. This procedure will address information specific to the UNC Nephropathology Laboratory.

I. General Guidelines for Waste Management

  1. The approved method for disposal of infectious waste and sharps in the Nephropathology Laboratory is by incineration (Stericycle). All infectious waste and sharps shall be placed into the appropriate (but separate) containers in preparation for disposal.
  2. Each employee is required to recognize that all tissue tested in this laboratory are considered infectious waste. In addition employees should recognize all microscope slides, coverslips, needles, scalpel blades, and Cryostat/Microtome blades as infectious sharps.

II. Laboratory Safety Rules and Procedures

A. Personnel:

  1. While working with infectious material, each employee will wear proper PPE, including, a lab coat, protective gloves, and when necessary protective eyewear.
  2. Employees will use available infectious waste disposal boxes and sharps containers for disposal of all infectious waste.

B. Disposal Boxes and Sharps Containers:

  1. All anatomical pathology wastes are placed in an appropriately marked disposal container (red bag labeled with BIOHAZARD label) and picked up by the contract incinerator service (Stericycle). This will include all vials containing traces of Michel’s and 10% Neutral Buffered Formalin fixatives and vials containing hardened epoxy resin. 
    1. The use of floor model and bench top model biohazard bins are permissible as long as they have a lid to cover them and are lined with a red polyethylene or equivalent bag. Floor biohazard bins must sit in a stabilizing ring or stand.
    2. Once biohazard bins are full, prepare infectious waste for disposal (see section C below).
  2. All blood, serum, or other infectious bodily fluids will be disposed of in the same manner as the anatomical pathology waste. This shall include all specimen containers, pipette tips, pipettes, weighboats, kimwipes, or any other disposable items used or in contact with the infectious fluids.
  3. Paraffin blocks should be disposed of in biohazard bins.
  4. Sharps, to include microscope slides (with or without tissue), coverslips, needles, scalpel blades, and Cryostat/microtome blades, shall be disposed of in the appropriate sharps container (i.e., rigid, puncture resistant and leak-proof when in an upright position).
    1. Needles should not be bent, cut or recapped.
    2. Acceptable sharps containers are those purchased from the hospital storeroom, medical supply carriers, or the contract incinerator service. They should be labeled with a BIOHAZARD sticker. When the container is full, it must be securely closed before disposing of in the proper container for transport by the contract incinerator service.
    3. Once sharps are securely sealed, they may be placed inside a rigid fiberboard box for disposal (see section C below).
  5. Infectious waste and sharps containers should be found in convenient, easy to reach locations for ease of disposal.

C. Preparation of Medical Waste for Contract Incinerator Service (Stericycle):

  1. Rigid fiberboard boxes and red bags are provided by the Contract Incinerator Service (Stericycle), and are brought to the laboratory at each scheduled pickup. They are identifiable by a large biohazard symbol on the side of the box.
  2. The large fiberboard boxes are to be assembled by folding bottom flaps together and sealing all seams with two-inch packing tape to prevent leakage of fluids.
  3. A large red polyethylene or equivalent bag, will be placed inside the box as a liner.
  4. All items for disposal should be placed inside the lined box. Full sharps containers with securely sealed lids will also be placed inside the box for disposal.
  5. When the box is considered full (must be < 50 lbs) and ready for pickup, the bag used for the liner will be closed by creating a gooseneck tie, box flaps folded together, and two-inch packing tape used to seal all seams to prevent leakage.
  6. A Contract Incinerator Service (Stericycle) label containing a QR code, will be placed on the side of the box for customer labels and the box will be placed in the hallway for pickup.

D. Contract Incinerator Service:

  1. The Nephropathology Laboratory currently has a contract with Stericycle® of Haw River, North Carolina for regulated medical waste disposal. This contract provides a pickup service for the laboratory every four weeks.
  2. A service schedule is provided each year at contract renewal as notification for scheduled pickup of biohazard boxes. Stericycle also calls the day prior to pickup as a reminder. All boxes should be packaged and ready to go the day before a scheduled pickup.

III. References

  1. UNC Hospitals, Chapel Hill, NC. UNC Hospitals’ guidelines for disposal of regulated medical waste. McLendon Clinical Laboratories Safety Manual, May 23, 2002.

IV. History

Created: 10/4/01 LKC

Replaces: N/A

Revisions: 

  • 2/10/20 LEC
  • 6/30/18 LHR
  • 9/29/15
  • 9/5/13
  • 6/21/12
  • 7/21/10
  • 12/1/09
  • 2/27/07 LKC
  • 4/28/03 LKC
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