Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 15 - Mississippi Department of Health › Part 16 - Health Facilities › Subpart 1 - Health Facilities Licensure and Certification › Chapter 44 - MINIMUM STANDARDS OF OPERATION FOR ABORTION FACILITIES › Subchapter 16 - SANITATION › Rule 15-16-1-44.16.4 - 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 (7) days above a
					 temperature of 60 C (380
					 F). Containment of infectious medical waste at the producing facility is
					 permitted at or below a temperature of 00 C
					 (320 F) for a period of not more than ninety (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 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 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.