COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the world in an unimaginable way. With almost 200,000 confirmed cases in the Republic, Irish homes and businesses are at a high risk of getting exposed to COVID-19. The government has imposed a nationwide Level 5 lockdown to contain the spread of the disease. This has had serious economic and social ramifications on the country but most importantly there is one sector of the country that is most affected by this pandemic.

Initial Medical has designed resources that will help your business practice safe waste management. Check it out now: COVID-19 Healthcare Waste Management Brochure

COVID-19 Healthcare Waste 

The healthcare sector in Ireland has been severely hit by this new wave of COVID-19 that has skyrocketed the daily confirmed cases in the country. The total number of cases in 2021 was at its maximum with more than 2000 people admitted and almost 20% are in the ICU. This had caused a serious strain on the healthcare industry and impacted the very core of its operations. 

The side of healthcare that has to be more vigilant than ever in its operations is the waste management department. Waste management before COVID-19 was operating on set standards that were designed for the smooth collection, handling and disposal of toxic and general waste categories. Since the pandemic, waste management has to be done in situations where hospitals are dealing with the waste generated from COVID-19 patients.

The Guidelines for COVID-19 Waste Management

According to the government guidelines, infections waste will be treated as Category B infectious waste. This waste has to be collected and disposed of in accordance with special requirements in order to prevent cross-contamination and prevent future transmissions.

• Anyone handling healthcare waste must be equipped with proper PPE & RPE.
• Yellow Wheelie Bins are to be used for the collection of healthcare waste.
• Confidential waste must be stored in confidential bins.
• Sharps, pharmaceutical, anatomical (excluded risk) waste should continue to be segregated into UN-approved yellow rigid containers
• Non-healthcare risk waste (i.e. commercial/domestic) should be collected by the regular non-hazardous waste contractor for recycling and energy recovery.

Approved Waste-Management Equipment For Healthcare

Initial Medical has a range of UN-approved waste management products that are designed and tested to ensure that healthcare professionals dealing with COVID-19 infectious waste are getting the correct protecting while following the government guidelines.

Initial Medical Waste Management Products

1. Clinical Waste Bags: Initial Medical Yellow Clinical Waste Bags are fully compliant and UN-approved for medical use. They are tear and impact resistant for safe use.
2. Clinical Waste Bins: Initial’s innovative Silversafe™ plastic construction kills 99.9% of bacteria on contact. This peddle operated bin reduces the chances of transmissions for your healthcare workers.
3. Wheelie Bins: Initial Medical’s range of yellow outdoor wheelie bins for the safe storage of hazardous and non-hazardous waste. These UV resistant bins are suitable for all weather conditions.
4. Rigid Containers: Rigid, yellow colour-coded clinical waste container for the storage of hazardous highly infectious waste. These containers use a sure locking system with a permanent hermetic seal, with clear visibility on closure.
5. Sharps Disposal: Initial Medical provides a comprehensive range of sharps storage units, as well as it’s specialist sharps bin collection and disposal service

Why Initial Medical?

Initial embraces the ISO philosophy for continual improvement of quality, environment and health & safety and have uniquely combined these with the integrated processes that it uses. Initial Medical is proud to be the Irish clinical and dental waste company with an Integrated ISO Accreditation, incorporating ISO 9001:2008, ISO 14001:2004 and OSHAS 18001:2007.

With our commitment to following the right methods of waste management, our customers are satisfied with our services. This is evident from the number of reviews we have received on Trustpilot for our services.

Get in touch with an Initial Medical Expert now and see how our range of waste management products and services can benefit your fight against COVID-19.