Why Medical Waste Management is Important?
Efficient medical waste management is important for many reasons ranging from protecting individual and public health to keeping the environment safe. According to World Health Organization – WHO, medical waste is classified into different categories such as infectious, pathological, sharps, pharmaceuticals, biomedical, bio-hazardous, etc. All these waste types have the potential to affect the human population as well as the environment in a significant manner.
Moreover, medical waste management helps healthcare facilities and hospitals in complying with federal laws and state regulations. It helps in improving the trust factor between public-private institutions and boosts the reputation of your hospital/practice as well. Find in detail four major reasons as to why medical waste management is important.
Workers, Staff, and Patients at Risk
Medical waste management is essential to keep workers and staff from potentially dangerous medical waste which can cause infections and diseases. Even simpler medical waste like sharps must be handled carefully as it can be detrimental for people and animals. Special sharps container disposal needs to be used according to FDA. Otherwise, dangerous diseases like HIV, Hepatitis, Ebola, Malaria, and COVID can be spread if medical waste is not handled properly.
Routine and efficient medical waste handling can help control different diseases, cycles of infections and improve workplace safety. In other words, the proper disposition of medical waste reduces the risk of acquiring disease from the mishandling of medical waste.
Public Health
A hospital generates a significant amount of medical waste that includes bio-hazardous and biomedical waste. If these waste types are disposed of without following the guidelines, public health will be at risk. Toxic substances can reach land, water, and air and disturb the natural ecosystem. Thus, through medical waste management and efficient biomedical waste disposal, public health can be protected.
Environmental Impact
As mentioned, medical waste can be washed off to rivers, lakes, and ponds during the rainy season. The toxic waste can pollute soil, and directly impact the health of humans, causing various diseases that otherwise could have been avoided. Aquatic environments are affected as the natural aquatic ecosystem is disturbed. Also, some medical waste accumulates over time and can continue to destroy the environment.
Compliance
CDC, FDA, OSHA, US-EPA, all these bodies have laid down strict regulations on how to deal with medical waste. Thus, medical facilities and hospitals need to adhere to these standards. And it is possible only through medical waste management. It helps facilities from substantial penalties as well.
These are the reasons why medical waste management in Michigan is also important. Medical Waste Recovery – MWR is one of the leading service providers for medical waste disposal in Michigan. We help hospitals, veterinary clinics, tattoo parlors, police stations, COVID testing facilities, schools, and other sites to safely dispose of all types of medical waste.