If you are an employer whose workers are involved in any activities that include bio-medical waste disposal West Palm, it is your legal responsibility to provide them with adequate PPE, or Personal Protective Equipment. PPE is used to protect the wearer from physical or other harm.
It is responsible of any employer to do everything in his power to limit the danger and risk to his employees. This alone should be enough to compel you into equipping your workforce with quality PPE, but for some this is not enough and so federal or state laws are also needed. Not complying with these can have dire legal ramifications on you.
What is PPE?
PPE, or personal protective equipment consist of a range of items, such as high visibility vests (fluorescent vests used by construction workers), tough work-wear (steel-toed boots and helmets), or accessories used to protect the eyes (protection glasses) or make breathing easier and filter harmful toxins (gas masks). A lot of these are used in bio-medical waste disposal.
A good example of the necessity of PPE is medical waste management. It is necessary for any medical worker or waste handler to always wear adequate protective clothing when dealing with biohazardous waste, no matter how simple the task of their disposal may seem.
Items most often used in bio-medical waste disposal normally include disposable latex or nitrile gloves, face mask, lab coat, gown or apron and eye protection goggles. Both health care workers and medical waste handlers must be trained to use and properly equip PPE before they touch anything that might be contaminated.
Additional PPE Requirements
Wearing PPE when handling infectious and potentially infectious medical waste is strictly required by federal and state laws and regulations, but also by agencies such as EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration).
In addition, you as the employer, are not only responsible for providing your staff with personal protective equipment needed to keep them safe from hazards, but to also make sure that this PPE is fully functional and that it is not damaged. Especially when it comes to bio-medical waste disposal, a single tear, for instance, in a latex glove, can allow a microorganism to infect a person.
When not used, PPE has to be stored and maintained appropriately, with regular inspections to make sure it is still functional and that it provides the protection it should.
Finally, you are bound to have one or two “cool guys” who think that wearing personal protection equipment is “for ninnies”. Make sure that they, as well as everybody else, fully understand that PPE is there for their own safety and protection and that they should always wear it during bio-medical waste disposal West Palm.
