Medical Waste
What’s the Difference between a MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) and SDS (Safety Data Sheet)?
Is there a difference between MSDS and SDS? If you work with chemicals, hazardous materials, medical waste, or any other materials with physical, chemical and toxic properties, then you need material safety data sheets (MSDS), or as they’re now known, safety data sheets (SDS). Is there a difference between the two? Here’s what you need to…
Read More5 Pharmaceutical Waste Disposal Best Practices
Here are some best practices for pharmaceutical waste disposal. Pharmaceutical waste management is a long and complicated topic that falls within the hub of hazardous waste management. If you manage a healthcare facility, hospital, assisted living facility, or even a pharmacy, it’s imperative to understand different pharmaceutical waste classifications and how to dispose of pharmaceutical…
Read MorePharmaceutical Waste Management & Disposal: Tips & Best Practices
Pharmaceutical waste management is complex. Here’s what you need to know. Managing pharmaceutical waste is both an environmental and compliance issue. Pharmaceutical manufacturers and retailers, as well as healthcare facilities, must adhere to laws and regulations to ensure safety and liability. Proper waste management is key to minimizing environmental impact and reducing risk associated with…
Read MoreExpired Medications: Keep or Toss?
Are expired medications safe for use? Patients often have questions about drug expiration dates: can they take a medication if it has reached the drug expiration date? Are there recommendations about the best way to store medications? Are there certain drugs that should never be used past their expiration date? There’s actually mixed info out…
Read MoreMay is also Hepatitis Awareness Month. How Is Your Sharps Safety Protocol?
Sharps related injuries are unfortunately still too common. Prevention and training are key factors to mitigating risk of hepatitis. May is designated as Hepatitis Awareness Month in the United States. During the entire month, the CDC works to shed light on this hidden epidemic by raising awareness of viral hepatitis and encouraging safety, vaccination, and…
Read MoreMay Is Food Allergy Awareness Month: Epinephrine Auto Injector Disposal
May is Food Allergy Awareness Month, a time to create awareness among the general public, and reduce the number of deaths caused by food allergies. Eating with caution is a way of life for nearly 15 million Americans living with food allergies. Living with a life-threatening medical condition is no doubt challenging, especially for children,…
Read MoreReducing Medical Waste and Making It More Sustainable
Did you know that you can make significant improvements in your medical waste generation rate by simply implementing an education and training program focused on proper segregation? What percentage of your waste is considered medical waste? If your numbers are on the higher side, you may be classifying your waste incorrectly.
Read MoreMedical Waste Pollution in the U.S.
Exactly how much pollution occurs in the U.S. is unknown, but minimizing what is incinerated is the goal for healthcare facilities. Believe it or not, medical waste removal and disposal is still a rather new topic considering the hundreds of years behind medical treatments and innovation. We started realizing the need for proper medical waste…
Read MoreBloodborne Pathogens Exposure Control Plan
What are bloodborne pathogens and why did OSHA create a formal standard to deal with the hazards? What are bloodborne pathogens and why did OSHA create a formal standard to deal with the hazards? Bloodborne pathogens are an occupational hazard for healthcare workers and other employees who may be exposed to blood and other potentially…
Read MoreMedical Waste Environmental Series: Packaging Your Medical Waste for Disposal
Medical waste packaging for pickup and transport is an important part of the disposal process. Here are some fast facts and tips. On-site management of regulated medical waste is a multi-pronged issue, as there are state and federal regulations, all of which cover packaging, disposal, handling, and removal. Many states require that facilities that deal…
Read MoreDental Medical Waste Roundup: Hazardous Waste, Extracted Teeth and More…
Here’s what you missed this month on the Red Bags blog … Medical waste isn’t exclusive to just hospitals and doctors offices. Regardless of the type of practice, there will always be medical waste, and so these professionals must contract with a licensed medical waste hauler to pick up waste and deal with it appropriately.…
Read MoreDental Medical Waste: X-Ray Developer
X-ray developer from analog x-rays cannot be disposed of in the trash. Here’s why this chemical solution is hazardous waste and how dental offices can mitigate risk and maintain safety and compliance. Caring for your teeth involves brushing and flossing twice a day, but more importantly, it means getting exams twice a year. As part…
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