The term regulated medical waste, is defined differently by many state and federal agencies
Definitions of “Medical Waste”
Types of Regulated Medical Waste (RMW)
Did you know that there is no universally accepted definition for medical waste? That’s right! However, there are definitions suggested by most regulatory agencies and these definitions are pretty close to one another. Many agencies that are federal and state, differentiate between common types of medical waste and those wastes that are more of a potential cause for infection. The wastes that are more of a risk per say, are the ones with extra precautions and are more strict. Depending on the state, these wastes are referred to as:
regulated medical waste (e.g., NY, RI)
infectious waste (e.g., CO, NE, NV)
biomedical waste (e.g., CT, FL, GA, ME, WA).
Some state regulations use a general definition, while others list specific wastes and categories of waste that are considered infectious. Some states have adopted the definition found in federal standards (e.g., Nevada adopted the DOT definition).
Please note that these resources have been taken from the HERC website and may not be fully up to date. Some text has been added or re-worded to help better explain the the overall subject. Please visit their website to ensure accuracy on all information as well as to see the full original article.
At the end of the day, the most important part is to stay compliant in all areas of regulated medical waste. That means, it’s more than just how regulated medical waste is treated. It’s important that all staff has the proper training as well! This would include properly training all staff personnel in OSHA trainings such as HIPAA, Hazcom, Dot-Regulated Medical Waste, BBP, Sharps Safety, PPE and more! Contact us for more information.