Virginia Administrative Code › Title 9 - ENVIRONMENT › Agency 20 - VIRGINIA WASTE MANAGEMENT BOARD › Chapter 121 - REGULATED MEDICAL WASTE MANAGEMENT REGULATIONS › Part IV - Standards for Regulated Medical Waste Transfer Stations and Treatment Facilities › Section 9VAC20-121-230 - Operation requirements

Current through Register Vol. 40, No. 24, July 15, 2024
A. The
				  operation of regulated medical waste transfer stations or treatment facilities
				  shall be governed by the standards as set forth in this section.
B. The regulated medical waste transfer
				  station or treatment facility shall maintain and operate in accordance with a
				  regulated medical waste management plan that meets all requirements of
				  9VAC20-121-330. This plan shall be
				  reviewed and recertified annually, within one year from the date of the last
				  certification, to ensure consistency with current operations and regulatory
				  requirements, and shall be made available for review by the department upon
				  request. If the applicable standards of this chapter and the facility's
				  operations plan conflict, this chapter shall take precedence.
C. The facility must operate to comply with
				  the general handling requirements of
				  9VAC20-121-100.
D. All regulated medical waste shall be
				  packaged, labeled in accordance with
				  9VAC20-121-110 and managed in
				  accordance with the storage conditions and timeframes required by
				  9VAC20-121-120. The facility shall
				  employ methods to track and document specific incoming waste throughout the
				  duration of storage, treatment or transfer, and shipment offsite.
E. All facilities that manage reusable carts
				  or containers for regulated medical waste shall comply with the requirements of
				  9VAC20-121-130 and maintain onsite
				  an adequate water supply and sufficient quantity of detergent and
				  EPA-registered disinfectant or other approved materials, as
				  applicable.
F. Except for reusable
				  containers authorized by the department to be opened, regulated medical waste
				  containers must not be opened or unpackaged unless approved as part of the
				  consolidation or treatment process.
G. The facility shall immediately address all
				  spills of regulated medical waste, incidents or emergencies, maintenance
				  events, and nonconformances that could have an impact on the management of
				  regulated medical waste. Spill containment and cleanup kits shall be maintained
				  as required by
				  9VAC20-121-140 B, and immediately
				  following a spill of regulated medical waste or its discovery, the procedures
				  specified in
				  9VAC20-121-140 C shall be
				  implemented.
H. Damaged or leaking
				  packages of regulated medical waste shall either be properly repackaged prior
				  to storage and subsequent shipment offsite or contained and treated onsite
				  within 24 hours if the facility is permitted for treatment
				  operations.
I. Transportation of
				  regulated medical waste is subject to the requirements of
				  9VAC20-121-150.
J. Waste must not be accepted unless it is
				  allowed in accordance with the permit-by-rule issued and the regulated medical
				  waste management plan and there is sufficient storage, transfer, or treatment
				  capacity. The amount of regulated medical waste received and stored at the
				  facility shall not exceed the permit process rate and designed storage
				  capacity.
K. Regulated medical
				  waste transfer stations and treatment facilities regulated under this part
				  shall implement an unauthorized waste control program in accordance with their
				  written plan as required by
				  9VAC20-121-330 and the following
				  provisions:
1. Prior to managing regulated
				  medical waste or using process equipment, and at least annually, within one
				  year from the date of the last training, the facility shall provide training to
				  staff to recognize, segregate, properly manage, document, and report receipt of
				  waste not authorized to be managed by the facility's permit.
2. If unauthorized waste is observed in the
				  waste delivered to the facility prior to unloading, the owner or operator must
				  refuse to accept the waste.
3. If
				  the unauthorized waste is observed in the waste at the facility or delivered to
				  the facility, the owner or operator shall segregate it, notify the generator
				  (if applicable), document the incident in the operating record, make necessary
				  arrangements to have the material managed in accordance with applicable federal
				  and state laws, and notify the department of the incident to include the means
				  of proper handling, in accordance with the reporting procedures of
				  9VAC20-121-340.
4. Any unauthorized waste accepted by the
				  owner or operator shall be managed in accordance with applicable federal or
				  state laws and regulations. The facility must carefully store the waste in a
				  designated storage area within the facility separate from untreated regulated
				  medical waste and treated regulated medical waste. Unauthorized waste that has
				  been segregated and stored shall be adequately secured and contained to prevent
				  leakage or contamination to the environment. The facility shall have the
				  unauthorized waste removed or properly managed no later than 10 calendar days
				  after discovery unless an alternate timeframe up to 30 days is approved by the
				  department. Handling and management of the unauthorized waste, including
				  segregation, removal, and transportation, shall be by a person authorized to
				  manage such waste and shall be transferred, treated, or disposed of at a
				  permitted waste management facility approved to receive it.
5. The facility must maintain a record of all
				  unauthorized waste accepted at the facility, the date accepted, the type of
				  waste, date of transfer, treatment, or disposal, management method, and the
				  name, address, and telephone number of the final treatment or disposal
				  facility.