scope:

Note: In many guidelines, all waste contaminated with blood or body fluids is classified as biomedical waste. This enormously increases the volume of waste requiring expensive handling and disposal. Identical items of waste are disposed of from homes with no special handling or decontamination.

The identification of every client who carries a blood borne pathogen including, but not limited to, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is both impractical and inappropriate. The modern trend in health care infection prevention and control is to build safe practices into all clinical procedures; the precaution taken is dictated by the risk accompanying the procedure, not by the diagnosis.

This Standard is based on two premises:

(a) The simple presence of viable organisms does not constitute a hazard; a mechanism by which these organisms can infect a host must coexist. Since hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV are usually transmitted by inoculation, the concern with blood, for example, is misplaced. The emphasis should more appropriately be applied to the category of sharps. Infections acquired by waste handlers are rare and almost always associated with trauma. Vigorous efforts directed toward the prevention of these injuries deserve high priority; the incidence of both the wounds and accompanying infections can be reduced dramatically by adherence to safe procedures

(b) Absolute elimination of all risk is impossible. A realistic goal is the attainment of a reasonable degree of safety at all times without needlessly compromising efficiency.

This Standard specifies requirements for the segregation, packaging, collection, movement, storage, and on-site treatment of waste materials within health care facilities and veterinary health care facilities.

This Standard does not deal with the off-site transportation or disposal of wastes once they have been removed from the site of the facility. Such matters are the subject of federal, provincial, and municipal regulations and legislation.

This Standard does not address the special precautions associated with material contaminated with infectious substances requiring a containment Level 3 or higher, as specified by the Laboratory Biosafety Guidelines, Health Canada, and the Containment Standards for Veterinary Facilities, Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The user should refer to Laboratory Biosafety Guidelines and transportation requirements specified under the Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act and Regulations, Schedule 7.

Note: For information on animal waste handling in laboratories, refer to the Containment Standards for Veterinary Facilities, Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

This Standard applies to health care facilities and veterinary health care facilities.

Note: Although this standard was originally intended to apply to health care facilities, and then extended to veterinary health care facilities, it may also apply to the following:

(a) medical research and teaching facilities;

(b) veterinary research and teaching facilities;

(c) research laboratories;

(d) vaccine production facilities;

(e) vaccine testing facilities;

(f) mortuaries and funeral homes;

(g) coroners' offices;

(h) blood banks

(i) blood collection centres; and

(j) personal service facilities (eg, tattoo parlours, and ear/body piercing, aesthetic, and electrolysis services).

This Standard does not address the storage, treatment, and disposal of certain hazardous substances (eg, asbestos) that pose a disease-related risk or threat to people or the environment (see Clause 11 on chemical and hazardous waste). The handling and disposal of these substances may be regulated by federal, provincial, or municipal authorities. Consult the applicable regulations for the handling and disposal of these substances. 

In this Standard, "shall" indicates a mandatory requirement; "should" indicates a recommendation, or that which is advised but not mandatory; and "may" indicates an advisory or optional statement. Notes accompanying clauses do not include mandatory or alternative requirements.; the purpose of a note accompanying a clause is to separate from the text explanatory or informative material that is not properly a part of the Standard. Notes to figures and tables are considered to be part of the figure or table and may be written as mandatory requirements; legends to figures are also considered to be a part of the requirements of the figure