Among the equipment used in medical waste management Fort Lauderdale, perhaps the most, or at least among th most important items to be used are sharps containers. These are special hard plastic receptacles utilized for holding used medical needles, syringes, scalpels and other medical instruments doctors, nurses and surgeons use to lacerate or pierce the patient’s skin.
Types of Sharps Containers and Their Differences
There are two types of medial sharps containers that can be used:
• One-time, disposable ones
• Reusable ones
The difference between the two should be pretty self-explanatory, but for further clarification, disposable sharps containers have to be destroyed together with their contents. They can not be reused or recycled. Usually, state authorities demand that the words “Not For Recycle” is written on them, in addition to the biohazard symbol and the warning “Sharps Waste” or “Biohazardous Waste”.
On the other hand, reusable sharps containers are just that – reusable. They can be used multiple times, following, of course, their emptying (this is done with an automated robot arm) and proper sterilization. Some states in the US do not allow re-usability of sharps containers.
Sharps containers can be purchased from a number of places. Even online. Just with anything else you are buying over the Internet, there are a few things that you have to keep your eyes open for when it comes to sharps containers. First of all, the quality of sharps containers bought this way is often questionable. This is something that you need to see for yourself that the receptacle is fully functional. A sharps container should not be damaged, leaking, or lacking a top lid, so make sure it is safe to fill it with needles and other infected medical instruments.
There is No Substitute For Quality
Using sub-standard sharps containers, not something you should be doing. To keep yourself healthy and safe, as well as your personnel, patients and the neighborhood, you should make sue that the sharps container you are buying is of good quality. If it is not and you are found using sharps containers that are not fulfilling federal, state or local standards, you will be liable to a lawsuit if one of your workers or patients gets injured. This further leads to financial penalties, potentially losing your license for work, bad publicity and even jail.
Of course, online sharps containers retailers are very well aware of the significance that their product has on medical waste management of health care facilities, so they do all that is in their power to design and manufacture better, more functional and safer sharps containers.
Remember, health care facilities throw millions of tons of sharps to landscapes every day. Even more is destroyed by incinerating. But before this can happen, those who are handling this waste are in a danger of being injured or infected. Make sure that you use high quality sharps containers for your used needles and such to prevent medical waste management Fort Lauderdale workers from getting injured and infected.
