Red Bags Blog Round Up – November 2018
Here’s what you missed on the Red Bags blog this month.
November was a busy month for Red Bags on the news and best practices front. Here’s a quick rundown of the topics we’ve been discussing.
We started the month off honoring a special day in medical waste history with the 30th anniversary of the Medical Waste Tracking Act. This law was put into effect by the EPA on November 1, 1988. It is a significant milestone marking the start of responsible, accountable disposal and storage processes involved with medical waste.
Read more about this law here.
Keeping those in the medical field safe from harm is a top priority when it comes to waste disposal. Since doctors, nurses and other health care personnel come into contact with all kinds of dangerous waste throughout their work days, it’s especially critical that they are trained to recognize, handle and dispose of hazardous waste safely.
Check out these top 5 safety tips for healthcare workers.
In addition to healthcare workers, there are cases when the general public is using items like sharps for medicine while at home. Diabetes is one disease that affects so many across the globe and involves daily testing and monitoring of blood glucose levels and in some cases even administering insulin via self-injection using a sharp.
In light of “World Diabetes Day” on November 14th, we’ve posted information on proper at-home sharps disposal.
Another epidemic affecting the nation are overdoses caused by opioid drugs. Naxolone (Narcan) has been introduced as a way to stop an overdose as it is happening. Its success rate has made it available over the counter in a number of states. To administer, a needle is used to inject the Naloxone from a syringe into a muscle. In this uncontrolled and sometimes chaotic environment, it can be easy to put others at risk if the sharps are improperly disposed of.
Learn the rules and proper steps to dispose of Narcan/Naxolone sharps here.
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You Might Also Like:
- Avoid Medical Waste Risks in the Workplace
- What’s Going in That Sharps Container?
- Medical Waste Manifests and Tracking Forms: How Long Do I Need to Retain These?
Service Areas: Long Island Medical Waste; New York City Medical Waste; Westchester Medical Waste and more!