Virginia Administrative Code › Title 9 - ENVIRONMENT › Agency 20 - VIRGINIA WASTE MANAGEMENT BOARD › Chapter 121 - REGULATED MEDICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT REGULATIONS › Part III - Standards for Management of All Regulated Medical Waste › Section 9VAC20-121-110 - Packaging and labeling of regulated medical waste

Current through Register Vol. 40, No. 24, July 15, 2024
A. All
				  regulated medical waste shall be appropriately packaged, labeled, and managed
				  as required by this section.
B. The
				  generator of regulated medical waste is responsible for the packaging and
				  labeling of regulated medical waste. Contractors or other agents may provide
				  services to the generator, including packaging and labeling of regulated
				  medical waste; however, no contract or other relationship shall relieve the
				  generator of the responsibility for packaging and labeling the regulated
				  medical waste as required by this chapter.
C. No person shall receive for
				  transportation, transfer, storage, or treatment any regulated medical waste
				  that is not packaged and labeled in accordance with this chapter. Contractors
				  or other agents may package or label regulated medical wastes to comply with
				  this chapter, so long as the packaging and labeling is performed onsite where
				  the regulated medical waste was generated and no transportation, storage,
				  treatment, or disposal occurs prior to the packaging. Nothing in this section
				  shall prevent the proper repackaging and further transportation of regulated
				  medical waste that has spilled during transportation.
D. All regulated medical waste shall be
				  packaged and labeled onsite prior to storage, treatment, transport, or other
				  management and at a minimum must conform with the following:
1. When regulated medical wastes are first
				  discarded, they shall be placed directly in bags or containers meeting the
				  requirements of the standards for occupational exposure to bloodborne pathogens
				  in the general industry standard in
				  16VAC25-90-1910.1030
				  (29 CFR
				  1910.1030). The general industry standard
				  requires the packaging to be closable, constructed to contain all contents and
				  prevent leakage of fluids, labeled, and closed prior to removal. Red bags shall
				  be used for the packaging of all regulated medical waste except as provided in
				  subdivision 2 of this subsection.
2. Sharps shall be placed directly in
				  puncture resistant containers as required by the general industry standards in
				  16VAC25-90-1910.1030(d)(4)(iii)(A).
				  Sharps containers must not be filled beyond the fill line indicated on the
				  container.
3. Waste packages must
				  not be overfilled. As a bag or container becomes full at the point of
				  generation, and prior to moving, it shall be closed, capped, or sealed so that
				  no waste materials can leak, spill, or protrude during handling, storage, or
				  transport.
4. Once closed, capped,
				  and sealed, bags and containers of regulated medical waste shall not be opened,
				  unsealed, unpackaged, or repackaged. If damage, spills, or outside
				  contamination of the regulated medical waste packaging occurs, the bag or
				  container shall be placed in a secondary packaging that meets all requirements
				  of this subsection.
5. All
				  regulated medical waste packaging shall be labeled. The label shall be securely
				  attached to or printed on packaging. The label may be a tag or sticker securely
				  affixed to the package. Permanent ink shall be used to complete the information
				  on the label. The label and the information provided on the label must be
				  clearly legible. The following information shall be included:
a. The name, address, and business telephone
				  number of the generator. For hospitals, the label shall identify the specific
				  department or lab where the waste originated;
b. The words "Regulated Medical Waste,"
				  "Biohazard," or "Infectious Waste" in large print; and
c. The universal biohazard symbol.
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