Importance of clinical waste disposal

A recent audit has found that clinical waste is not being disposed of correctly across the Trust and the legal requirement to fill in waste labels is not being completed.

The audit has found that more than 50% of clinical waste bags and sharps boxes do not have the date of disposal on labels, sharps boxes are not being correctly assembled or closed and locked, and waste labels are not being attached at all in 10% of cases.

Please note that all of these cause IPC issues and problems for the collectors who pick up our clinical waste.

Omitting a label or failure to fill in a date, means collectors have to handle waste unnecessarily, when it is the legal requirement of the disposer to record the information as a correct and proper record.

Please ensure that all labels are completed in full and attached to the clinical waste and sharps boxes are assembled correctly and lids are locked.

Published 12th March 2015