Control of Aerosol (Biological and Nonbiological) and Chemical Exposures and Safety Hazards in Medical Waste Treatment Facilities

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cole E ; Hodson L ; Leese K ; Owen K ; Uhorchak R
• Description:
  The safety, aerosol, chemical, blood and microorganism hazards associated with work at medical waste treatment facilities (MWTFs) were evaluated, and the use of engineering controls was considered. Three MWTFs were selected for study, each with a different technology: off site steam autoclave, off site microwave, and on site pyrolysis. There were significant differences in process engineering at the three MWTFs. At the two off site facilities, there was extensive manual handling of wastes, resulting in frequent blood splashes. The on site facility handled prepackaged waste, with a smaller likelihood of leakage. All of the facilities had potential hazards, most of which were similar to those at most industrial facilities. The authors recommend that a uniform policy on the use of gloves be adopted at each facility. Adequate splash protection should be included in the personnel protective equipment. Protective clothing worn in the facility should not be worn home. To reduce transfer of contamination from the waste treatment areas to other areas, shoes that have been worn in the waste processing area should be changed or covered before entering office areas. Attention should be given to daily routine cleaning and decontamination of treatment unit surfaces and other potentially contaminated facility surfaces. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aerosols Body Fluids Communicable Diseases Hazardous Substances Microbiology Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Safety Waste Management
• Keywords:
  Biohazards Body-fluids Contract-200-95-2960 Industrial-hygiene Infection-control Microorganisms NIOSH-Contract Personal-protective-equipment Waste-disposal Waste-treatment
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Contract
• Genre:
  Final Contract Report
• Place as Subject:
  North Carolina ; OSHA Region 4
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-286
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00239447
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB98-115876
• Citation:
  Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 1996 Dec; :1-286
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1997
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:34a0ecfc775242d1edb42e887e360aceb9a0b335b2a46fa1039e0f79195bdf1afdaa76abe814a0e2bad190f3380030b1f2df23ebdab922487c9c6b6fe8339ac8
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/197994/cdc_197994_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 7.50 MB ]