The United States Department of Transportation (or simply DoT) is reasonable for monitoring the transportation of hazardous materials and it does so under the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act (HMTA) of 1975. You can see why and how this federal agency is important when it comes to Florida bio-hazardous waste disposal.
According to the Hazardous Materials Transportation Act, hazardous materials is:
“ Any substance or material that can burn, explode, react violently or cause injury or harm to people, property or the environment during transport.”
Under the HMTA are covered biohazard materials, which are defined as materials and/or substances that may cause injury to human beings, animals and the environment. Of course, DOT has very strict requirements regarding how to transport these.
Worker Training for Florida Bio-Hazardous Waste Disposal
Prior to any handling or transporting hazardous materials, a worker needs to complete a DOT-certified training which lasts a minimum of 8 hours. This covers such topics as HAZMAT, identification, labeling, packaging, placard placement on vehicles and other. Only when the employee has passed successfully this bio-hazardous waste disposal test can he or she to work on it.
Transportation of Biohazards and Communication Markings
Hazard communication has to do with labeling certain types of hazardous materials. This is done using a placard on the side and rear of the vehicle. Depending on the type of biohazard, the placard requirement will differ, but it needs to follow the HMTA (Hazardous Materials Transportation Act) table entitled “Hazardous Materials”. Under classes 6 and 7, of these table are covered biohazard materials, etiologic and poisons (class 6) and radioactive materials (class 7).
DOT Container Requirements
It is important for a bio-hazardous waste disposal company to transport medical wastes from the health care facility to their own site in leak-proof and pierce-resistant tanks or containers. Furthermore, biohazard containers must have their proper documentation transported with them at all times.
This documentation includes information about the contents of each container, including the accumulation date, hazardous properties of the materials, name and address of the bio-hazardous waste disposal company or the laboratory where material is being transported to, the name and address of the facility that produced the material and if the material is in liquid or solid state.
In Conclusion
The Department of Transportation is one of the most vital US federal agencies responsible for overseeing everything about Florida bio-hazardous waste disposal and ensuring each company works correctly. As such, their guidelines and requirements should be followed closely by Florida bio-hazardous waste disposal.
