A sharps container or a sharps box is a receptacle used in Boca Raton medical waste management to hold used needles and other medical sharp instruments such as IV catheters, scalpels, scissors or file root canals. There are two categories of sharps containers:
• Disposable or singe use sharps containers.
• Reusable sharps containers. These are emptied robotically and sterilized before they are reused.
The first sharps container was designed and manufactured in 1979 by a company from United Kingdom called Frontier Plastic. This UK company from South Wales saw and understood the need for containers which will allow the safe disposal of such potentially hazardous items as sharps. The first sharps container was named “Sharpsafe container” and it soon found its place not just in the health care industry, but also in other businesses where needles are used, such as tattoo parlors, acupuncture salons, piercing stores and more.
The standard practice in most countries, not just the United States, when it comes to used sharps is to place them in a durable hard plastic container right after they are used. Only one use (except for some very clear exception) is allowed for sharps, as sharing needles or using them on multiple patients can cause HIV and other types of blood-born viruses, most notably Hepatitis C or B.
A needle or other sharp item has to be placed inside the sharps container without touching the outside or the inside of the container. Also, do not overfill the sharps container or try to force or pushed inside, as this could damage the container or cause a needle stick injury.
Sharps waste are, once filled, placed into red bio-medical waste removal plastic bags and delivered to a medical waste management Boca Raton plant for destruction. This should be done within 90 days of sealing the sharps container.
Sharps containers are made of a durable hard plastic. The receptacle shouldn’t be leaking and also needs to be resistant to puncture, breaking or bending. For easier manipulation, it is also a good thing if the sharps container has handles.
Sharps containers are always in some bright and clearly visible color. In the United States, the accepted color for sharps containers is red, while in the rest of the world, these containers are either yellow or orange.
In the last decade or so, the world is paying much more attention to the safety and environmental standards. This has led to a number of regulations and laws pertaining to medical waste management and the overall reduction of bio-medical wastes. One result of these regulations is that many U.S, states have shifted from one-time-use-only sharps containers to those that can be reused after they are emptied and disinfected properly.
Finally, remember that sharps bio-medical waste removal is regulated on a state to state basis in the US, so get acquainted with the medical waste management Boca Raton rules in your region before you start disposing of sharps.
