Storage/Transportation of Hospital Waste.

Hospital Waste Management Rules (HWMR) (2000) stated that waste should stored before collection and final disposal should not be accumulated in corridors, wards or places that are accessible to the general public. Storage facilities should be easy to clean and disinfected on intervals and should be provided with adequate waste supply and good drainage system, lighting and ventilation in places where waste are stored. Note that infectious waste should not be stored at the centre storage facilities for more than 24 hours. The storage facilities should be impervious to

moisture and of strength sufficient to resist ripping, tearing or burst. Microbiological culture and potentially infectious waste from hospital laboratories should be autoclave on site at 21°C for about 15 minutes prior to disposal. And these should be labelled and bagged in autoclave bags.

Waste transportation is to convey waste from the generation point to the central storage facilities to the final disposal site. This should be collected daily by designated personnel with wheeled bins, rigid leak-proof plastic bags, polythene bags with the exception of sharps that should be transported in boxes and these should be transported in boxes and these should be loaded in a waste lorry or van to the final disposal site. Remember that hospital and non-hospital waste should be collected together.

HWMR (2000) also stated that handling precaution applies one hospital waste has been placed within a plastic storage bag or rigid container. He also stated that staffs who are involved in handling waste at various stages should be provided with training in self consciousness with the procedure involved in the segregation, storage, collection and disposal of hospital waste.

Reference

HWMR (2000). Hospital Waste Management Rule 2000 Draft. Published by Hospital Waste Management Committee. Pakistan: Environmental Protection Council, Section 7, 15,16,19,18,19,20.