Contaminated needles and other contaminated sharps will not be bent, recapped, removed, sheared or purposely broken. If a medical procedure requires that the contaminated needle be recapped or removed and no alternative is feasible, the recapping or removal of the needle must be done by the use of a mechanical device or a one-handed scoop method. Consult EHRS for alternative methods.
Mixed waste sharps contaminated with carcinogens or mutagens must be separated from other sharps. These sharps must be discarded in an approved sharps container, labeled “Carcinogen Contaminated Sharps / Do Not Autoclave” and removed with other autoclaved infectious waste.
Sharps contaminated with radionuclides must be separated from other sharps.
These sharps must be discarded in an approved sharps container in accordance with guidelines described in the EHRS Laboratory Sharps Waste Management Procedure.