The proper disposal of clinical waste is one of the most important measures needed to control the spread of infection within a practice.
There are a number of different types of clinical waste that are produced daily in a dental surgery. Waste that is infectious, hazardous, medicinal or a threat to hygiene must be recognised as potentially dangerous and must be disposed of according to proper guidelines.
Waste to consider includes:
- Contaminated waste: paper chair covers, masks swabs, disposable aspirator tips;
- Sharps: needles, endodontic irrigation syringes, discharged or partially discharged anaesthetic cartridges, used burs, matrix bands;
- Amalgam waste: waste amalgam, spent amalgam capsules, disposable containers used to mix/store amalgam, teeth filled with amalgam;
- Electric waste: light machines, vitality testers, radiography machines;
- Instruments;
- Contaminated/broken glass;
- Medical waste: expired, unused, split or contaminated pharmaceutical products, drugs or vaccines.
Anything generated from healthcare practices could pose a serious risk of infection, having been exposed to potential pathogens in the environment. Anything that has come into contact with bodily fluids needs to be treated cautiously, and it is prudent to consider that everything is infected. With this in mind, it is important all members of staff are trained to recognise, and understand how to dispose of all types of clinical waste.
Clinical waste must be disposed of in an appropriate clinical waste bag. Yellow bags denote waste that needs to be incinerated, which includes anything that has had contact with potentially contaminated fluids, such as blood or saliva. Any contaminated glassware, if it can not be decontaminated, must be securely wrapped in paper, and placed in the clinical waste bag. Staff should then be made aware the bag contains glass, and take additional care when disposing, so as to avoid breakage. Items to be disposed of in a clinical waste bag include: saliva ejectors/disposable suction tips, cups, tissues, gauze/cotton rolls, gloves, face masks, sticky covers/cling film and used disinfectant wipes.
Sharps are to be disposed of immediately in sealed plastic containers. If a sharp is dropped, it should be immediately recovered. If immediate recovery is unsuccessful, all staff must be made aware, so extra precautions can be taken. Hazardous sharps, and any broken glass must be disposed of in yellow plastic containers, with tightly fitting lids. Manufacturers mark each container with a ‘fill line’, usually around three quarters of the volume, and it is imperative that containers must not be filled beyond this line. Containers should always be kept off floor surfaces and should be wall or trolley mounted or placed safely on work surfaces to avoid accidental exposure of the contents if knocked over.
Training in the correct disposal of clinical waste can help avoid the spread of infection, and minimise danger to the public and practice staff.
For more information call 0114 254 3500 or visit www.s4dental.com
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