Disposing of pathological waste involves more than just throwing it away in a designated container. Organizations that generate pathological waste must ensure it is packaged appropriately for pickup and transport to preserve all healthcare staff and treatment facility worker safety and to maintain compliance with federal, state, and local regulations.
What is Pathological Waste?
Pathological waste is a type of regulated medical waste (RMW). The term generally refers to human or animal tissues, organs, limbs, surgical specimens, and other body parts that have infectious properties or potential for disease transmission.
Sometimes the pathological waste may be preserved or fixed in a chemical preservative solution. It might be generated as part of laboratory and diagnostic testing or following an operational procedure, and it is generally found in and across healthcare facilities such as morgues and mortuaries, veterinary offices, operating rooms and suites, and in labor and delivery rooms.
Where is Pathological Waste Regulated?
Currently, there are 36 states that have specific regulations for the management of pathological waste. The other wastes associated with pathology include:
- Paraffin wax blocks: Tissue encased in paraffin wax must be packaged and identified separately.
- Animal carcasses: They can be accepted as pathological waste but there are weight restrictions.
- Prion waste: Prions are resistant to autoclaving and other sterilization techniques. Incineration is considered the most effective method of prion waste disposal.
Does Stericycle Accept Pathological Waste?
Yes, Stericycle will collect, transport, and treat pathological waste. Per Stericycle’s policy (and many state regulations), pathological waste must be segregated and routed for treatment via incineration. RMW incineration helps render the waste noninfectious and unrecognizable before it is disposed of.
What Do I Need to Know About Preparing Pathological Waste for Shipment?
Per our Waste Acceptance Policy for Incineration Services, Stericycle will only accept this material if it has been removed from formalin, formaldehyde, or other chemical preservatives.
Further, pathological waste should only be placed in containers that are specifically labeled for that waste stream and not with your general RMW or in RMW containers.
Why Doesn’t Stericycle Accept Pathological Waste that is Preserved in Chemical Agents?
“We Commit to Safety Always” and “We Do the Right Thing” are two of our core values. Stericycle is committed to safe and compliant operations to support our team members and the communities we serve.
Chemical preservatives, such as formalin, often contain formaldehyde. Exposure to formaldehyde can have severe and lasting health effects. When pathological waste is not properly packaged (meaning decanted from any chemicals and in a container labeled for incineration), it creates a potential risk for all downstream workers, including Stericycle drivers and plant team members.
To help us protect our team and in support of our compliance with applicable Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards, it is imperative that formalin, formaldehyde, and other chemical preservatives are removed from any waste sent to or picked up by Stericycle.
Our Waste Acceptance Policies, which dictate what waste Stericycle can and cannot accept, are based on several considerations, including regulatory obligations, operational capabilities, and workplace safety. We ask all our customers to adhere to our policies so that we can ensure a safe working environment for our team members.
Similarly, to help protect their own workplace, customers should follow these best practices:
- Have staff follow applicable internal safety and personal protection guidelines when managing formaldehyde-containing materials, including when decanting, solidifying, or otherwise handling waste during packaging.
- Ask staff to fully tie/close bags containing decanted pathological waste and ensure that outer shipping boxes/containers are also completely closed consistent with Stericycle’s Waste Packaging Requirements.
- Make sure that containers offered to Stericycle that contain pathological waste for incineration processing are properly labeled.
- To ensure safe lifting conditions and safe disposal, do not overfill containers. Waste management partners, including Stericycle, have established weight limits for the safe handling of RMW containers.
As part of your waste determination process, be sure to review Stericycle’s Waste Acceptance Policy for Incineration Services with your laboratory (pathology, histology, cytology), morgue, veterinary offices, mortuaries, research, or other departments/areas in your organization that generate pathological wastes or use chemical preservatives.
All generators should be aware of and follow the above requirements to protect the health and safety of all employees managing this waste and to avoid any disruption in services or the need for charges or returns for non-conforming waste.
The Importance of Training
Before healthcare staff interact with medical waste, they should receive training about the risks associated with it and procedures for safely handling and disposing of it.
Some states may require both orientation and annual refresher training, while others may not specify requirements. In addition to your state requirements, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) stipulates the necessity of orientation and annual refresher training for staff members handling sharps and potentially infectious materials. This training should encompass strategies to prevent accidental injuries and reduce the risk of transmitting bloodborne pathogens.
Furthermore, other agencies like the Department of Transportation (DOT) require training for employees responsible for packaging medical waste and preparing it for transportation. Training should be provided within 90 days after employment or a change in job function or the employer’s security plan.
Stericycle can be your strategic waste management partner in training, working with you to deliver up-to-date educational tools and resources. Stericycle offers Steri-Safe® Compliance Training Solutions, which provides healthcare staff with an assortment of online trainings related to OSHA and HIPAA compliance, medical waste disposal, and Department of Transportation Hazardous Materials Training as related to the products and services offered by Stericycle. The online tools also record when the training is completed, ensuring that organizations can be confident that their staff has received the required education.
To ensure your organization properly handles its pathological wastes, it can help to consult with an RMW management expert like Stericycle. For further information regarding our Waste Acceptance Policies, please contact your local Stericycle representative.
