Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 15 - Mississippi Department of Health › Part 16 - Health Facilities › Subpart 1 - Health Facilities Licensure and Certification › Chapter 51 - MINIMUM STANDARDS OF OPERATION FOR PSYCHIATRIC RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT FACILITIES › Subchapter 78 - MEDICAL WASTE › Rule 15-16-1-51.78.3

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 0 C (32F) for a
					 period of not more than 90 days without specific approval of the Mississippi
					 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 signs 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 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.
g. 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.
h. 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.
i. 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.
j. 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); and
d. Quaternary ammonium solution (400 ppm
					 active agent).