Sharps management in Idaho, Utah, and Oregon is serious business. From used needles to broken glass, your medical waste must be taken seriously and understanding how to safely manage the potentially dangerous waste will help keep you, your staff, and your patients or customers safe, while keeping your practice or facility compliant.
What Are Sharps?
Sharps are often thought of as needles used in healthcare settings. They are objects or devices with sharp points or edges that could potentially puncture the skin. Other surgical utensils used in medical settings include needles, scalpels, syringes, and objects that could break, like capillary tubes, glass, and exposed ends of dental wires. It’s important to handle these types of objects with care.
Disposable Sharps Containers
Sharps containers must be puncture-proof, leak-proof, manufactured with a locking mechanism, and clearly labeled. They are generally red in color with the universal biohazard symbol. Disposable sharps containers are for disposing of sharps. They are the appropriate containers designed to contain sharp objects since they are puncture-proof. Depositing sharps into the appropriate container helps limit the potential exposure to bloodborne pathogens that may spread as a result of improper contact with contaminated sharps. This also helps reduce the risk of workplace injuries keeping your practice or facility compliant with OSHA regulations.
How to Dispose of Sharps
Just like every state, proper sharps management in Idaho, Utah, and Oregon is not only good practice but also regulated to high standards to help maintain the safety of all. In a healthcare setting, the safest and best way to dispose of sharps is to place them into appropriate disposable sharps containers immediately after use. This helps reduce the risk of injury and can eliminate the spread of bloodborne pathogens. Know where the nearest sharps container is and never fill past the fill line. This can cause the container to overflow and not close properly, which could then dislodge sharps.
There are different size sharps containers. Some are smaller for counter tops or wall mounts. There are larger options for higher volume facilities as well. Working with a medical waste management company to address your needs can reduce the number of unknowns in sharps disposal as they can address your specific needs on an ongoing basis.
It's also essential to ensure that staff are properly trained in handling and disposing of sharps. Putting measures in place for proper handling and disposal of sharps will help keep you, your staff, and anyone handling the medical waste safe, while keeping you compliant. Working with a dependable biohazardous waste management company helps to ensure all regulations are followed. You as the waste generator are responsible for your sharps waste even once a company has removed it from your facility so picking a reliable partner for disposing of the waste will give you the confidence and assurance of complete compliance.
How Larson-Miller Medical Waste Disposal Service Can Help You With Sharps Disposal
With a flawless compliance record, excellent service, and a history of happy customers, at Larson-Miller we take pride in our experience and long legacy of managing sharps and medical waste for generators of all types and sizes. Larson-Miller is equipped and ready to partner with you to manage your sharps. We are the trusted medical waste disposal partner throughout Idaho, Utah, and Oregon always adhering to all local, state, and federal regulatory regulations to keep our communities and the environment safe. Call us today to see how we can help manage your sharps disposal, (208) 323-7272 or (801) 738-6545.