Regulated Medical Waste (RMW) is a problem that continues to grow like a wild fire.
With few viable and affordable solutions we will continue to see dumping on the sides of roads putting the public at considerable risk.
Hospitals, Clinics, Airlines or anyone else who produces RMW should be held personally responsible for illegal dumping when it occurs.
Management won’t like this but it will stop the illegal dumping and force the proper and costly
improvements that need to be made to prevent the situation from occurring over and over.
Make people accountable and the problem will go away.
We offer proven and tested solutions to RMW that are not as costly as the current methods and also solve the issue.
Let me know if y ou want to know more
[email protected]

Nail Salon Safety:

The next time you go to get your nails done or go for a pedicure observe the place you go and ask these 4 questions.
Does the salon/spa look clean, does it pass the smell test?
Do the techs wear gloves to protect themselves and you?
Does the salon disclose the chemicals used in the salon?
Are the instruments sterilized on an autoclave. Each states laws vary on this topic but, regardless of the law this is the only way to sterilize the instruments, like when you go to a doctor or dentist.
If your salon doesn’t meet these 4 tests, find another place for your own safety,
or ask the owner why they don’t operated following these principals of safety.

Autoclave Market’s Projected Growth

I have now read 3 studies from different industries all saying the same thing.
Over the next 10-15 years the autoclave and sterilizers market will grow at a rate in excess of 20%.

This information points to the new uses of autoclaves now being used in the sterilization of Regulated Medical Waste (RMW) so that it can be disposed of safely with ordinary trash.

This information also tells us of the rise in the safety standards of nail salons and spas, who are now mandated by law to use and autoclave to sterilize instruments. If your spa or salon doesn’t use an autoclave find a new one!

The last bit of info i read dealt with the need for more up to date sterilizers in the hospital sector, where many autoclaves are now in excess of 40 years old and in need of replacement,
repairs just wont do the job anymore,

Make sure if any of these areas effect you t hat the autoclaves are being validated to show they do the job.

Until next time

Chuck Fishelson
Your Sterilizer Expert

Steam Sterilization may not always be the right choice

Do you have an office practice outside of the hospital?
Do you need to sterilize your instruments?
Depending on what your specialty is there a few choices in sterilization.
Using a Steam Sterilizer is the most common, but not always the best for your instruments.
Dry Heat sterilization is a viable choice if you use stainless steel instruments , especially if you do a limited number of procedures a day
Gas or EO sterilization can also be used in an office setting to sterilize devices that cannot withstand heat.
Time between cycles is also critical in your decision as instruments tend to cost more than sterilizers.
If you need more information please contact us

Again we hear  stories of dumping Medical Waste without care of the consequences.
We need to stand up and be heard. You may choose from many approve methods but sterilize the waste then dispose of it properly.

Settlement reached over medical waste spilled from Waimanalo Gulch
By Web Staff
Published: July 10, 2015, 7:17 pm Updated: July 10, 2015, 7:19 pm

Waimanalo Gulch operator, employees indicted on multiple counts

Four years after heavy rains caused medical waste from Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill to spill into the ocean, a settlement has been reached.

Under the agreement, the government agreed to dismiss all felonies after Waste Management of Hawaii accepted two misdemeanor negligence charges under the Clean Water Act.

The company will also have to pay a $400,000 fine and set aside $200,000 for environmental projects.

Two waste management workers, Joseph Whelan and Justin Lottig, have also agreed to misdemeanor charges of negligent discharge of pollutants and will be fined $25,000 each.

In May 2014, the U.S. Attorney’s office filed an indictment against Waste Management of Hawaii, saying the company lied to health inspectors after bags of blood vials, needles and syringes spilled onto the Leeward coast in 2011.

In a statement, the company said, “We’re very pleased to have this particular chapter of this 2010/2011 story now behind us. This settlement agreement is an important turning point for both Waste Management of Hawaii and our two employees.”

Chuck

How can we expect to raise the level of safety in salons when 4 people are expected to monitor 1400

Daily News Staff

Posted Jul. 5, 2015 at 2:12 AM

Manicures and pedicures are considered among the most accessible forms of pampering. Market studies show that the $7 billion nail industry in the U.S. stayed strong even through the recession.

Concerns about hygiene and workplace safety have shed a light on the dark side of the inexpensive luxury, especially after a recent New York Times series about the plight of salon workers in New York City prompted New York Gov.

Andrew Cuomo to take immediate action. The Times series found instances of unsanitary working conditions, unfair payments to workers and exposure of some workers to potentially hazardous chemicals.

In Massachusetts, salons are regulated by the Board of Registration of Cosmetology and Barbering, a four-member board that is in charge of licenses related to salons and imposing punishments for violations. The board was formed in May after merging three state registration boards for barbering, cosmetology and electrology. The new board is supposed to have six members but has two vacancies. Inspections are done by a separate team of four inspectors who work under the state Division of Professional Licensure.

According to complaint records obtained through a Daily News public records request, the state responded to 17 complaints against salons or salon workers in the MetroWest and Milford area in the past five years in Framingham, Hopedale, Hopkinton, Marlborough, Milford, Natick, Northborough and Wayland.

Inspections are typically done when a new business opens or if the state receives a complaint, according to the Division of Professional Licensure Director Charles Borstel. However, the state tries to do occasional random inspections, he said.

During those visits, inspectors look for unsanitary conditions or any unlicensed practices. Inspectors have the authority to write a ticket on-site if a salon has a violation. Each violation carries a $100 fine.
The Board of Cosmetology and Barbering then has the right to uphold that citation or impose a harsher punishment. If a customer has a complaint about a salon, he or she can fill out a two-page form provided by the Division of Licensure Office of Investigations.

The office gets a lot of frivolous complaints, namely issues that don’t necessarily warrant a visit from a state inspector, such as dissatisfaction with a nail color or a bad haircut at a hair salon. Inspectors clearly identify themselves when they visit a salon, said Borstel.

The response time for complaints depends on their severity, he said. If a customer was physically harmed during a salon visit, inspectors go to the salon as soon as possible.

The Better Business Bureau also receives salon complaints. In the past 12 months, the BBB received 15 complaints against nail salons. Four of the complaints alleged unhygienic conditions. Nearly 50 percent of the complaints the BBB gets about salons tend to be about businesses not honoring Groupons or gift cards, according to Denise K. Nelson, operations manager for the local BBB chapter.

In New York State this is the law, if your salon or spa doesn’t have an autoclave, you are breaking the law and not considering the safety of your clients or that of the operators.

Go only to spa or salons with autoclaves and if the one you frequent doesn’t have an autoclave show them the law and ask why

General Business Law Article 27

May 2015

§160.17 Cleaning, disinfection or sterilization of implements (a) Disinfectants used for reprocessing implements must be registered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a “hospital grade disinfectant” and the active ingredients and scope of activity clearly described on the original label.

1) EPA approved hospital grade disinfectants must be used in accordance with the manufacturers’ directions for the intended implement or surface.

(2) Categories of EPA approved hospital grade disinfectants that are recognized for use on implements or environmental surfaces include ethyl or isopropyl alcohols, phenolics, quaternary ammonium compounds, iodophors and sodium hypochlorite.

(b) Implements requiring sterilization shall be autoclaved or immersed for no less than 10 hours in a liquid sterilant registered by the EPA.

(c) Reprocessing standards.

1) After each client use, combs, brushes and other implements that are used on the hair shall be cleaned with warm water and soap or a detergent to remove all hair and scalp debris, rinsed thoroughly, dried with clean toweling or other absorbent material, and completely immersed in an EPA hospital grade disinfectant. Such implements shall be soaked for 10 minutes or more, removed, rinsed, dried and stored in a drawer, cabinet or covered container.

(2) After each client use, electric razor heads, cuticle scissors, and other implements which may abrade or clip superficial layers of skin shall be cleaned with warm water and soap or detergent, rinsed thoroughly, dried with clean toweling or other material, and completely of the intended process.

(e) Transport of “clean” and “dirty” equipment to and from remote locations. All supplies and implements shall be transported to and from the remote location in covered containers. Clean implements and supplies (e.g., towels) shall be kept in containers separate from those implements and supplies that have been used and marked according to their status.immersed in an EPA approved hospital grade disinfectant in accordance with manufacturers’ recommendations for the implement, and no less than 10 minutes. Following disinfection, the implement shall be rinsed, dried, and stored in a drawer, cabinet or covered container.

(3) Implements that are intended to penetrate skin or enter pores shall be either single use disposable or subject to sterilization. Implements that will be reused shall be thoroughly cleaned with warm water and soap or a detergent, rinsed and sterilized after each client use. Implements that will be autoclaved shall be packaged prior to sterilization.

(d) All solutions and equipment used for disinfection or sterilization shall be stored, maintained and monitored so as to protect from contamination and to assure the continued integrity.