Do a Health Care Waste Assessment 445
➍ Walk through the health center and note problems.
Visit all the areas where waste is produced. Look in the trash bins and note
what kinds of waste are there. Do this walk-through several times over the
next few weeks, and try to do it at different times of day. Then you can see
the waste in different conditions and how it is handled throughout the day.
Do the walk-through with different workers. Cleaners will see things
differently from doctors and nurses, and each may have important ideas
about how to best handle waste.
The safest way to
protect myself from
used needles is to
have them put in
puncture‑proof boxes.
The safest way to
protect myself from
used needles is to toss
them straight into the
waste pail.
The safest way to
protect myself from
used needles is to
let the nurse give
injections.
To manage waste safely,
we need to think about
each other as much as we
think about ourselves.
➎ Learn about different choices for treating and disposing of waste.
After several walks through the health center, have a group discussion
about the problems and possible solutions. Solutions do not have to
be expensive or technical. Most solutions require only organization,
cooperation, and commitment.
Try to make a plan that
starts with the most
harmful waste —
sharps — and then
chemicals, blood and
other body fluids,
and so on. The goal
is to improve your
entire system, not
just 1 part of it.
A Community Guide to Environmental Health 2012