Mpox - Vancouver

Infectious Waste

Infectious Waste

Infectious waste is any waste with the presence or the reasonable anticipated presence of blood or other potentially infectious materials on an item or surface.  The following are typical materials considered infectious wastes (this is not an all-inclusive list).

Human body fluids like semen, vaginal secretions, cerebrospinal fluid, synovial fluid, pleural fluid, pericardial fluid, peritoneal fluid, amniotic fluid, any body fluid that is visibly contaminated with blood, and all body fluids in situations where it is difficult to differentiate between body fluids.

Any unfixed human tissue or organ (other than intact skin).

HIV-containing cell or tissue cultures, organ cultures, and HIV or HBV containing culture medium or other solutions.

Microbiological cultures and stocks of infectious agents, including cultures and stocks of infectious agents, wastes from the production of biologicals, and culture dishes, assemblies and devices used to transfer, inoculate and mix cultures.

Contaminated animal carcasses, body parts, blood, blood products, secretions, excretions and bedding of animals that were known to have been exposed to zoonotic infectious agents or non-zoonotic human pathogens.

Pharmaceutical drugs and chemicals that are not infectious must not be disposed in the infectious waste streams.

Regulated medical waste that is mixed with chemicals or radioactive agents must be handled in a special manner.  Please contact the department EH&S.

There are three types of waste generated in clinical locations and disposed of through the regulated medical waste program.  These include:

Regulated Medical Waste

Sharp waste

Non-Sharp waste

Pathological waste

Chemotherapeutic waste 

Clinical personnel can submit an infectious waste pick-up request to EH&S. The infectious waste will be removed by the university's vendor during the next pick-up time. In addition, researchers can submit an infectious waste container request to EH&S. 

Infectious Waste Removal Process

Non-sharps regulated medical waste and chemotherapeutic waste bags must be placed in a container that is leak-proof on the sides and bottom, impervious to moisture, and sufficient in strength to prevent puncturing, tearing or bursting during storage. Liquid waste must be placed in containers that are break resistant and tightly lidded. Sharps containers must be puncture resistant, tightly lidded, leak proof and labeled. Cardboard sharps containers are not acceptable for use.

Regulated medical waste and Chemotherapeutic waste containers must be labeled in the following manner by research personnel: 

The words "Regulated Medical Waste" or "Chemotherapeutic Waste"

The universal biohazard symbol and the work "Biohazard".

The date the container was full or the date the container was sealed.

The name, address and telephone number of the generator of the waste.

Clinical personnel must be present during the scheduled pick up time. The contactor will not remove the waste if the clinical personnel are not present. Regulated medical waste cannot be placed in the hallway for pickup. The waste must be secure at all times. Overfilled containers will not be removed. 

To service waste containers or to obtain regulated waste containers, please contact the EH&S or use the links to submit a request. 

Review the Hazardous Waste Management Plan for information concerning allowable amount accumulated, labeling and permitted accumulation time. Additional information can be found under Environmental Compliance. 

 

Bloodborne Pathogens

The RIT Environmental Health and Safety (EH&S) Department has developed a Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure Control Program to ensure the protection of faculty, staff, students, and visitors who put themselves at a reasonable risk of coming into contact with blood and other potentially infectious materials.

Bloodborne pathogens are microorganisms such as viruses or bacteria that are carried in blood and/or bodily fluids and can cause disease in people; including hepatitis B and C and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Bloodborne pathogens such as hepatitis B (HBV) and HIV can be transmitted through contact with infected human blood or other potentially infectious body fluids such as:

Blood;

Semen;

Vaginal secretions;

Cerebrospinal fluid;

Synovial fluid;

Pleural fluid;

Peritoneal fluid;

Amniotic fluid;

Any body fluid that is visibly contaminated with blood; and

Human urine and feces.

Employees must sign either: the HBV Shot Declination Form if they do not want to receive the HBV shot series, or if they have previously had the shots; or the HBV Shot Authorization Request Form if they would like to receive the HBV shot series. Please download and complete the appropriate form. Return the signed form to the EH&S Department.

Applicable Regulation

29 CFR 1910.1030

Exemptions

RIT is not required to offer the vaccine to workers who provide first aid as a secondary job duty. A secondary job duty is one that is done on an "as needed" basis and is not the individual's primary job function.

Rite Aid To Develop Bloodborne Pathogen Safety Program Following OSHA Probe

As part of an agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor, Rite Aid Corp. Will develop a bloodborne pathogen safety program to better protect retail workers at all of the drugstore chain's locations in New Jersey and New York.

The settlement announced Aug. 21 by the DOL stems from an April 2022 probe launched by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration after a retail employee at a Rite Aid store in Niagara Falls, N.Y., was instructed to clean up spilled blood following a customer injury.

While investigating, OSHA learned that before the incident the employee had not been offered a hepatitis B vaccine and that Rite Aid lacked an appropriate exposure control plan – a violation of federal regulations, the DOL said. As a result, Rite Aid was issued three citations and fined $31,360. The Philadelphia-based corporation initially contested the violations, but later struck a settlement with OSHA calling for an amended $10,000 fine and withdrawal of its notice of contest.

Under the terms of the agreement, Rite Aid is also required to take several remedial actions at its 370 New Jersey and New York stores, including:

Developing and implementing an exposure control plan with safety for retail employees who may be required to clean up or otherwise handle blood or other potentially infectious materials at work;

Training these retail employees about bloodborne hazards in the workplace, including all information that is required by OSHA regulations regarding how employees can handle blood or other potentially infectious materials safely;

Offering a hepatitis B vaccination series at no cost to all retail employees who may be required to clean up or otherwise handle or be exposed to blood or potentially infectious materials;

Not requiring other retail employees — not covered by the program — to clean up or otherwise handle blood or potentially infectious materials, and clearly instruct those employees about whom to contact for assistance if there is a blood spill or other incident requiring clean up or handling;

Having Rite Aid managers and third-party consultants monitor stores for compliance with the agreement's requirements and report back to Rite Aid and OSHA about compliance.

The pact also prohibits the company from retaliating against employees who express concerns or provide information about safety issues to managers or to OSHA.

OSHA Regional Administrator Richard Mendelson in New York said the settlement agreement with Rite Aid "will significantly enhance safety for many of the company's employees in hundreds of stores in the metro-area and beyond.

"They have committed to making sure employees at its New Jersey and New York stores are trained and protected by the same safeguards that apply to employees whose job-specific duties require coverage under the bloodborne pathogen standards," he said. "The settlement expands Rite Aid's bloodborne pathogens protections for those employees who could encounter blood or other bodily fluids while working in the front-end retail area of the stores."

Jeffrey Rogoff, regional solicitor of labor in New York, added, "This settlement shows that the U.S. Department of Labor will pursue litigation outcomes that expand and maximize safety and health protections for workers. Here, an incident at one Rite Aid pharmacy led to an agreement in which the company has undertaken enhanced abatement of bloodborne pathogen hazards at all its New York and New Jersey stores."

Asked why the agreement applies only to Rite Aid's locations in New Jersey and New York, a media representative for Rite Aid would only say that "the settlement the parties reached covers the New York and New Jersey stores." Nationwide, the chain has more than 2,300 retail pharmacies across 17 states.

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