Safe, Effective Medical Waste Disposal for Tattoo Parlors

By Sean | February 28, 2018

When you think about the kinds of places that generate medical waste, a tattoo shop might not be the first place you picture.

Medical waste disposal isn’t a compliance issue that is strictly tied to the healthcare community. While we may associate medical waste with hospitals, medical labs, doctors’ offices, or long-term care facilities, there are other businesses that must follow the same safety guidelines when it comes to medical waste, and that includes tattoo parlors.

Tattoo parlor medical waste refers to the instruments that piercing professionals and tattoo artists produce when piercing or tattooing a client, including sharps, lancets, tattoo needles, sterile dressing, unused ointment, and gloves.

Consider this – tattoos are made by inserting ink into the deepest layers of the skin. The mechanized needle punctures the skin and injects ink just below the dermis, which means that the needle comes into contact with bodily fluids, and is therefore considered medical waste.

Tattoo parlor medical waste includes:

  • Tattoo needles
  • Protective gloves
  • Protective covers
  • Cotton swabs

Piercing needles and other piercing equipment

There are health risks associated with tattoo parlor medical waste, just as there are risks associated with labs and healthcare facilities that do not sterilize equipment, or do not follow medical waste removal guidelines. If tattoo parlor conditions are unsanitary, this can increase the risk of infection for hepatitis, tuberculosis, or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection.  However, risks for these diseases are low as long as sanitation and sterilization procedures are followed for proper tattoo medical waste removal.

Tattoo parlors can avoid non-compliance and health risks by investing in a medical waste removal company to handle any and all tattoo parlor medical waste. A medical waste removal company is equipped to safely handle, transport, and dispose of tattoo parlor medical waste properly, in accordance with State and Federal regulations, to protect the public from dangerous pathogens.

Red Bags can help tattoo shop owners maintain compliance with our services and online staff training. We will pick up, transport and dispose of all tattoo equipment and other biowaste in a cost-effective and reliable way. Whether you need monthly or daily medical waste disposal services, our team can help set up a schedule that meets your needs to ensure that your employees, clients, and the environment are safe and protected.  Our comprehensive service packages also include online OSHA training and more for staff.

Want to learn more? Follow Red Bags’ blog to be up to date on the latest happenings in the medical waste industry.

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Posted in Hazardous Waste, Medical Waste