Waste: Infectious

Type

Procedure

Category

Health and Safety

Department

Facilities Management and Planning

Phone

(541) 463-5000

Primary Contact

Jennifer Hayward

Contact Email

Responsible Executive Authority

Vice President, Finance & Administration

Purpose

This procedure describes how departments will appropriately handle and dispose of infectious waste. The State of Oregon has adopted special regulations for the handling, storage and disposal of infectious waste. Any department which generates infectious waste must contact Facilities Management and Planning to ensure that appropriate handling and disposal procedures are being carried out.

Narrative

The State of Oregon has adopted special regulations for the handling, storage and disposal of infectious waste.

Infectious Waste is defined as follows.

  1. "Biological waste," which includes blood and blood products, excretions, exudates, secretions, suctionings and other body fluids that cannot be directly discarded into the municipal sewer system, and waste materials saturated with blood or body fluids, but does not include diapers soiled with urine or feces. In addition, biological waste does not include articles contaminated with fully absorbed or dried blood, such as gauze, paper towels, and sanitary napkins.
  2. "Cultures and stocks," which includes etiologic agents and associated biologicals, including specimen cultures and dishes and devices used to transfer, inoculate and mix cultures, wastes from production of biologicals, and serums and discarded live and attenuated vaccines. "Cultures" does not include throat and urine cultures.
  3. "Pathological waste," which includes biopsy materials and all human tissues, anatomical parts that emanate from surgery, obstetrical procedures, autopsy and laboratory procedures and animal carcasses exposed to pathogens in research and the bedding and other waste from such animals. "Pathological waste" does not include teeth or formaldehyde or other preservative agents.
  4. "Sharps," which includes needles, IV tubing with needles attached, scalpel blades, lancets, glass tubes that could be broken during handling and syringes that have been removed from their original sterile containers.

All infectious waste as defined must be reported immediately to Facilities Management and Planning at (541) 463-5000 Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Here is a link to OSHA's Q and A regarding waste disposal.

Facilities Management and Planning is responsible for arranging the proper handling and disposal of all infectious waste at the college. All infectious waste must be collected in special containers and turned over to Facilities Management and Planning for disposal.

Any department which generates infectious waste must contact Facilities Management and Planning to ensure that appropriate handling and disposal procedures are being carried out.

Date Adopted

Saturday, May 1, 1999

Date Last Reviewed

Monday, August 31, 2015