If you've ever gagged at having to swallow your pride at work, be thankful that medical waste was not also on the menu.
A story from "down under" graphically illustrates for healthcare facilities the importance of proper disposal of regulated medical and pharmaceutical waste.
An Australian garbage collector was granted permission to begin legal proceedings against a clinic in Australia.
When manually dumping a waste bin into a garbage truck outside a hematology-oncology clinic, up to two liters of medical waste, including blood, human biopsies and chemotherapy chemicals, spilled over him. During the spill, the worker swallowed a portion of this waste before vomiting, and has since suffered poisoning, loss of taste, increased mouth sensitivity, depression, anxiety, and mood swings, according to his suit against the clinic for improperly securing its waste.
This shows that it is not just your employees who can be exposed to hazardous waste from your facility. And with sloppy waste disposal practices, your practice or clinic can wind up with, if not human biopsies, at least egg on its face not to mention a significant legal judgment and fine.