Regulated Waste - OSHA Definition | Critical Access Hospital | Environment of Care EC | The Joint Commission

What is the definition of "regulated waste?"

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Any examples are for illustrative purposes only. 

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Per OSHA, The Bloodborne Pathogens Standard uses the term, "regulated waste," to refer to the following categories of waste:

liquid or semi-liquid blood or other potentially infectious materials
contaminated items that would release blood or other potentially infectious materials in a liquid or semi-liquid state if compressed
items that are caked with dried blood or other potentially infectious materials and are capable of releasing these materials during handling
contaminated sharps
and pathological and microbiological wastes containing blood or other potentially infectious materials.

Organizations should also check with their state regulatory agencies as some states have additional items which is considered regulated waste or regulated medical waste.

Reference EC.02.02.01

Manual: Critical Access Hospital

Chapter: Environment of Care EC

First published date: April 11, 2016

This page was last updated on October 25, 2021

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