Oct 26
2019
Hospital-Generated Waste: Implementing A System For Its Proper Management
Healthcare organizations around the globe are dealing with increased volumes of waste, and few are the hospitals and clinics that have actually implemented a system that excels, in terms of both environmental protection and in-house convenience.
As a stakeholder at a hospital, one of your responsibilities is to improve your waste management practices. If the way you are currently handling things on the premises isn’t exactly advantageous, perhaps you need to get organized and adopt a different strategy.
Considering the fact that hospital-generated waste often involves safety concerns, some of the waste being ether infectious or hazardous, following a few guidelines is recommended. What are the factors that you should acknowledge on the subject? How can you make things more efficient in the waste management department?
Here are some important details to look over and use in any healthcare environment:
Handling
Waste handling is one of the first tasks that come into play here, and an important one as well. The most relevant recommendation here is to increase safety awareness among staff members who are in charge of handling hospital waste. Injuries or contamination can happen if handlers don’t keep up with necessary safety precautions.
Your staff members should not only receive reminders on the matter, but should be put through period training, where they can learn about the risks associated with waste handling, and what procedures and techniques to use when dealing with different types of occupational accidents. Waste handling should always meet compliance regulations, so test your staff members before assigning responsibilities.
Identifying waste reduction opportunities
What many healthcare centers fail to do is trying to reduce their waste. Waste reduction opportunities exist in any hospital, these only need to be identified and pursued properly. Make it your priority to put together an action plan that allows you to find the best ways of reducing the amount of waste your organization produces.
An example of waste reduction possibility could be the following: Evaluate your supply ordering practices. This will prevent you from having to throw away perishable products because they’ve surpassed expiration date. You have multiple other solutions available, so assess the current situation the hospital finds itself in, and make possible adjustments.