Department of Microbiology (Biomedical Waste management )

INTRODUCTION

Biomedical waste (BMW) means any waste, generated during the diagnosis, treatment or immunization of human being or animals or in research activities pertaining thereto or in the production or testing of biological or in health camps, and including categories mentioned in Schedule 1, of the BMW rules 2016 of the total waste generated in hospital.

The standards, norms and rules on BMWM regulate the disposal of various categories of BMW to ensure the safety of the health‑care workers, patients, public and environment.

LINK : BIO MEDICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT RULES RULE 2016

These rules BMW in pursuance to the act passed by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in 1986 & notified as the Bio Medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules in July 1998 shall not apply to waste under acts/ rules

1. Radioactive Wastes, Atomic Energy Act, 1987
2. Hazardous Chemicals Rules, 1989
3. Solid Wastes covered under MSW, Rules, 2000
4. Lead acid batteries, Batteries Rules, 2001
5. Hazardous Waste management Handling & Transboundary Movement Rules, 2008
6. E-waste, E-waste Rules, 2011
7. Hazardous Microorganisms Rules, 1989

TIME LINE

1. BMWM rules, 1998: Notified in 1998 and amended as draft in 2003 & 2011 under Environment Protection Act (EPA), 1986.
2. BMWM rules, 2016: The Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change, GOI, notified the BMWM rules on 28th March 2016, under the provisions of EPA, 1986. These rules fill up the gaps in the old rules to regulate the disposal of various categories of BMW.

These rules apply to all persons who generate, collect, receive, store, transport, treat, dispose, or handle BMW in any form. These include hospitals, nursing home, clinics, dispensary, veterinary institutions, laboratories, research/educational institutes, campus, first aid rooms of schools, blood banks and Ayush,

Of the total BMW about 75% – 90% of the waste is non‑hazardous or general health‑care waste. Remaining 10%–25% of BMW is regarded as hazardous and can lead to a variety of environmental and health risks;

• Pathological and infectious waste (15%)
• Chemical and pharmaceutical waste (3%)
• Sharp waste (1%)
• Special waste <1%

OCCUPIER

A person having administrative control over the institution and the premises generating bio-medical waste, which includes a hospital, nursing home, clinic, dispensary, veterinary institution, animal house, pathological laboratory, blood bank, health care facility and clinical establishment, irrespective of their system of medicine and by whatever name they are called. The occupier herein is the principal cum dean of Medical College SLBSGMCH Mandi at Nerchowk. The Principal Cum Dean will take all necessary actions so that all the waste generated is handled without any adverse effect to human health and environment.

Duties of the occupier:

1. To ensure that waste is handled without any adverse effect to human health and the environment.
2. Provision of a Final Storage Room.
3. Pre-treatment of Lab waste, microbiology waste, blood bags etc.
4. Phase-out use of chlorinated plastic bags, gloves and blood bags
5. Providing training to healthcare workers & keep record.
6. Immunize Health workers with Tetanus and Hepatitis-B vaccine
7. Establish bar-code based software system.
8. Pre-treatment of liquid chemical waste before mixing it with domestic liquid waste.
9. Appropriate and adequate use of PPEs.
10. Conduct health-checkup of health workers and keep record.
11. Display waste management monthly record on the HCFs website.
12. Report Major Accidents in Form-I within 24 hrs.
13. Untreated human anatomical waste, animal anatomical waste, soiled waste and biotechnology waste shall not be stored beyond 48 hrs.
14. Report to PCB incase of irregular visit of CBWTF.
15. Forming a BMW Management committee and hold at least biannual meetings.
16. The containers shall be properly labeled.

Salient features of BMW management rules 2016

The major salient features of BMW Management Rules, 2016 are:

• The ambit of the rules has been expanded to include vaccination camps, blood donation camps, surgical camps or any other healthcare activity;
• Phase-out the use of chlorinated plastic bags, gloves and blood bags within two years;
• Pre-treatment of the laboratory waste, microbiological waste, blood samples and blood bags through disinfection or sterilization on-site in the manner as prescribed by WHO or NACO;
• Provide training to all its health care workers and immunize all health workers regularly;
• Establish a Bar-Code System for bags or containers containing bio-medical waste for disposal;
• Report major accidents;
• The new rules prescribe more stringent standards for incinerator to reduce the emission of pollutants in environment;
• Existing incinerators to achieve the standards for retention time in secondary chamber and Dioxin and Furans within two years;
• Bio-medical waste has been classified in to 4 categories instead of 10 to improve the segregation of waste at source;
• Procedure to get authorization simplified. Automatic authorization for bedded hospitals. The validity of authorization synchronized with validity of consent orders for Bedded HCFs. One time Authorization for Non-bedded HCFs;
• No occupier shall establish on-site treatment and disposal facility, if a service of `common bio-medical waste treatment facility is available at distance of seventy-five kilometers.
• Operator of a common bio-medical waste treatment and disposal facility to ensure the timely collection of bio-medical waste from the HCFs and assist the HCFs in conduct of training.

 

SALIENT FEATURES OF BMW MANAGEMENT AMENDMENT RULES, 2018

The salient features of the Bio-Medical Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2018 are:

1. Bio-medical waste generators including hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, dispensaries, veterinary institutions, animal houses, pathological laboratories, blood banks, health care facilities, and clinical establishments will have to phase out chlorinated plastic bags (excluding blood bags) and gloves by 27-03-2019.
2. All healthcare facilities shall make available the annual report on its website within a period of 2 years from date of publication of the Bio-Medical Waste Management (Amendment) Rules, 2018.
3. Operators of common bio-medical waste treatment and disposal facilities shall establish bar coding and global positioning system for handling of bio-medical waste in accordance with guidelines issued by the Central Pollution Control Board by 27-03-2019.
4. The State Pollution Control Boards/Pollution Control Committees have to compile, review and analyze the information received and send its information to the Central Pollution Control Board in a new Form (Form IV A), which seeks detailed information regarding district-wise bio-medical waste generation, information on Health Care Facilities having captive treatment facilities, information on common bio-medical waste treatment and disposal facilities.
5. Every occupier, i.e. a person having administrative control over the institution and the premises generating biomedical waste shall pre-treat the laboratory waste, microbiological waste, blood samples, and blood bags through disinfection or sterilization on-site in the manner as prescribed by the World Health Organization (WHO) or guidelines on safe management of wastes from health care activities and WHO Blue Book 2014 and then sent to the Common bio-medical waste treatment facility for final disposal.

 

Non compliance

In case of any non-compliance of the BMWM Rules, 2016, the occupier is liable for penalty for contravention of the provisions of the Act and the Rules, orders and directions as specified in Rule 15. of the E(P)Act,1986 which states that

“ whosoever fails to comply or contravenes any of the provisions of the Act and the Rules, orders and directions be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to five years or with fine which may extend to one lakh rupees or both”

 

Organogram

Agreement with HPSPCB. HPSPCB | H.P. State Pollution Control Board Link

Annual Report of BMW of SLBSGMCH Nerchowk at Mandi

Staff Training Activities: Sensitization sessions, Refresher, and onsite trainings continuously being conducted for various categories of staff.

1. Cleaning personnel
2. Laboratory Technicians and Laboratory Assistants
3. Nursing staff
4. Pharmacists
5. Resident Doctors
6. Faculty
7. Administrative staff

 

p> COMMITTEES

 

• INFECTION CONTROL COMMITTEE:
• BIOMEDICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE & SANITATION COMMITTE

 

More reading: links –

– HP pollution board

– GOI

– BMW rules

– E-waste guidelines

– Plastic waste

– Solid waste management rules

-Enviro Engineers, CBWTF Shandli , Arki Solan, HP

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