Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 15 - Mississippi Department of Health › Part 16 - Health Facilities › Subpart 1 - Health Facilities Licensure and Certification › Chapter 52 - MINIMUM STANDARDS FOR CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY UNITS › Subchapter 26 - REGULATED MEDICAL WASTE › Rule 15-16-1-52.26.2 - Medical Waste Management Plan

Current through June 25, 2024
All generators of infectious medical waste and medical
						waste shall have a medical waste management plan that shall include, but is not
						limited to, the following:
1. Storage
					 and Containment of Infectious Medical Waste and Medical Waste
a. Containment of infectious medical waste
					 and medical waste shall be in a manner and location which affords protection
					 from animals, rain and wind, does not provide a breeding place or a food source
					 for insects and rodents, and minimizes exposure to the public.
b. Infectious medical waste shall be
					 segregated from other waste at the point of origin in the producing
					 facility.
c. Unless approved by the
					 Mississippi Department of Health or treated and rendered non-infectious.
					 Infectious medical waste (except for sharps in approved containers) shall not
					 be stored at a waste producing facility for more than seven days above a
					 temperature of 6 C (38F). Containment of infectious medical waste at the
					 producing facility is permitted at or below a temperature of O C (32F) for a
					 period of not more than 90 days without specific approval of the Department of
					 Health.
d. Containment of
					 infectious medical waste shall be separate from other wastes. Enclosures or
					 containers used for containment of infectious medical waste shall be so secured
					 so as to discourage access by unauthorized persons and shall be marked with
					 prominent warning sings on, or adjacent to, the exterior of entry doors, gates,
					 or lids. Each container shall be prominently labeled with a sign using language
					 to be determined by the Department and legible during daylight hours.
e. Infectious medical waste, except for
					 sharps capable of puncturing or cutting, shall be contained in double
					 disposable plastic bags or single bags (1.5 mills thick) which are impervious
					 to moisture and have a strength sufficient to preclude ripping, tearing, or
					 bursting under normal conditions of usage. The bags shall be securely tied so
					 as to prevent leakage or expulsion of solid or liquid wasted during storage,
					 handling, or transport.
f. All
					 sharps shall be contained for disposal in leak-proof, rigid, puncture resistant
					 containers which are taped closed or tightly lidded to preclude loss of the
					 contents.
g. All bags used for
					 containment and disposal of infectious medical waste shall be of a distinctive
					 color or display the Universal Symbol for infectious waste. Rigid containers of
					 all sharps waste shall be labeled.
h. Compactors or grinders shall not be used
					 to process infectious medical waste unless the waste has been rendered
					 non-infectious. Sharps containers shall not be subject to compaction by any
					 compacting device except in the institution itself and shall not be placed for
					 storage or transport in a portable or mobile trash compactor.
i. Infectious medical waste and medical waste
					 contained in disposable containers as prescribed above, shall be placed for
					 storage, handling, or transport in disposable or reusable pails, cartons,
					 drums, or portable bins. The containment system shall be leak-proof, have
					 tight-fitting covers and be kept clean and in good repair.
j. Reusable containers for infectious medical
					 waste and medical waste shall be thoroughly washed and decontaminated each time
					 they are emptied by a method specified by the Mississippi Department of Health,
					 unless the surfaces of the containers have been protected from contamination by
					 disposable liners, bags, or other devices removed with the waste, as outlined
					 in I.E.
k. Approved methods of
					 decontamination include, but are not limited to, agitation to remove visible
					 soil combined with one or more of the following procedures:
i. Exposure to hot water at least 180 F for a
					 minimum of 15 seconds.
ii. Exposure
					 to a chemical sanitizer by rinsing with or immersion in one of the following
					 for a minimum of 3 minutes:
a. Hypochlorite
					 solution (500 ppm available chlorine).
b. Phenolic solution (500 ppm active
					 agent).
c. Iodoform solution (100
					 ppm available iodine).
d.
					 Quaternary ammonium solution (400 ppm active agent).
b. Reusable pails, drums, or bins
					 used for containment of infectious waste shall not be used for containment of
					 waste to be disposed of as noninfectious waste or for other purposes except
					 after being decontaminated by procedures as described in part (10) of this
					 section.
i. Trash chutes shall not be used to
					 transfer infectious medical waste.
ii. Once treated and rendered non-infectious,
					 previously defined infectious medical waste will be classified as medical waste
					 and may be land-filled in an approved landfill.