to main content Regulated Waste - OSHA Definition | Critical Access Hospital | Environment of Care EC | The Joint Commission
  • Find Accredited Organizations
  • Careers
  • E-Alerts
  • Contact Us
Main Menu
The Joint Commission
  • Click here to visit the Joint Commission Resources website
  • Click here to visit the Joint Commission International website
Search Toggle
Login
  • Who We Are
    Through leading practices, unmatched knowledge and expertise, we help organizations across the continuum of care lead the way to zero harm.
    • Who We Work With
      • Find Accredited Organizations
      • Our Partnerships
      • Payer Relations
      • State Recognition
    • Why Work With Us
    • Facts About The Joint Commission
      • History of The Joint Commission
      • Joint Commission FAQs
      • Board of Commissioners
      • Joint Commission Advisory Groups
    • Policies and Financials
      • Code of Conduct
      • Conflict of Interest Policy
      • Designated Copyright Agent Policy
      • Financial Statements
      • Firewall Policy Summary
      • Linking to The Joint Commission Website
      • Reprint Permission Policy
    • Federal Relations and Public Policy
    • Joint Commission Officers
      • Jonathan B. Perlin
      • Jean Courtney
      • Ken Grubbs
      • Michael Kaba
      • Leslie Krohn
      • James I. Merlino
      • Jason Miles
      • Elizabeth Mort
      • Kathryn D. Petrovic
      • Kathryn Spates
      • Lisa Steininger
      • Lisa Vandecaveye
      • William Walders
    • Joint Commission Resources
    • Joint Commission International
    A doctor reviews information on a tablet with a nurse

    Who We Work With

    Learn more about the communities and organizations we serve.

    A group of business professionals collaborate on a project in a conference room

    Why Work With Us

    See how our expertise and rigorous standards can help organizations like yours.

  • What We Offer
    In addition to accreditation, certification, and verification, we provide tools and resources for health care professionals that can help make a difference in the delivery of care.
    • How We Can Help
    • Accreditation
      • Health Care Settings
      • Become Accredited
      • Accreditation Guide
      • Accredited
    • Certification
      • What is Certification
      • Certifications by Setting
      • Explore Eligibility
      • Learn the Process
      • After your Review
      • Certifications without Accreditation
      • Expert Reviewers
    • Verification
      • Improve Maternal Outcomes at Your Health Care Facility
      • Maternal Levels of Care Verification
      • Publicity Kit
    • Speakers Bureau
    • Complimentary Resources
      • Webinars
      • Newsletters
      • R3 Reports
      • Sentinel Event Alerts
      • Patient Safety Topics
      • DASH
    Female nurse holding senior woman's hand.

    How We Can Help

    Learn how working with the Joint Commission benefits your organization and community.

    Shot of a group of medical practitioners having a discussion in a hospital.

    Accreditation Guide

    Find the exact resources you need to succeed in your accreditation journey.

  • Our Priorities
    Learn about the priorities that drive us and how we are helping propel health care forward.
    • Health Care Equity
      • Accreditation Resource Center
      • Certification Resource Center
    • Responsible Use of Health Data
    • Sustainable Healthcare
      • Resource Center
    • Workforce Safety and Well-Being
      • Resource Center
    • Emergency Management
    • Infection Prevention and Control
    • Suicide Prevention
    An elderly woman in a wheelchair is helped by a friendly nurse

    Health Care Equity

    Our vision is that all people always experience safe, high-quality health care.

    A hospital with a green courtyard

    Sustainability

    The effects of climate change threaten the health of people everywhere. Together we can make a difference.

  • Standards
    Set expectations for your organization's performance that are reasonable, achievable and survey-able.
    • About Our Standards
    • Standards Field Reviews
    • National Patient Safety Goals
      • Ambulatory Health Care: 2025 National Patient Safety Goals
      • Assisted Living Community: 2025 National Patient Safety Goals
      • Behavioral Health Care and Human Services: 2025 National Patient Safety Goals
      • Critical Access Hospital: 2025 National Patient Safety Goals
      • Home Care: 2025 National Patient Safety Goals
      • Hospital: 2025 National Patient Safety Goals
      • Laboratory Services: 2025 National Patient Safety Goals
      • Nursing Care Center: 2025 National Patient Safety Goals
      • Office-Based Surgery: 2025 National Patient Safety Goals
      • Rural Health Clinic: 2025 National Patient Safety Goals
      • Telehealth: 2025 National Patient Safety Goals
    • Prepublication Standards
      • New and Revised Laboratory Requirements Related to Histocompatibility
    • R3 Report
      • R3 Report Issue 47: New and Revised Emergency Management Standards for Laboratories
    • Standards FAQs
    • Universal Protocol
    • Patient Safety Systems PS Chapter
    Nurse and doctor talking to happy hospital patient after surgery

    National Patient Safety Goals

    Find out about the current National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs) for specific programs.

    doctor chatting to sales rep in hospital corridor

    FAQs about the Standards

    We help you measure, assess and improve your performance.

  • Measurement
    Learn about the "gold standard" in quality. We develop and implement measures for accountability and quality improvement.
    • Measures
      • Assisted Living Community Measures
      • Cardiac Care
      • Emergency Department
      • Health Care Staffing Services
      • Hospital Outpatient Department
      • Hospital-Based Inpatient Psychiatric
      • Immunization
      • Palliative Care
      • Perinatal Care
      • Spine Surgery
      • Stroke
      • Substance Use
      • Tobacco Treatment
      • Total Hip and Knee Replacement
      • Venous Thromboembolism
    • Specifications Manuals
      • Electronic Clinical Quality Measures
      • Chart Abstracted Measures
    • Reporting
      • Accreditation - Hospital
      • Certification
    • Pioneers in Quality
      • Facts
      • Expert to Expert Series
    • Resources
    • ORYX FAQs
    • Quality Measurement Webinars & Videos
      • Video Shorts
    • Assisted Living Community (ALC)
    Business information and info-graphics concept.

    Measures

    Learn about the development and implementation of standardized performance measures. View them by specific areas by clicking here.

    Happy Medical Team Looking at Laptop in Doctor's Office.

    Pioneers in Quality

    Gain an understanding of the development of electronic clinical quality measures to improve quality of care.

  • Resources
    Obtain useful information in regards to patient safety, suicide prevention, infection control and many more.
    • Health Care Equity
      • Accreditation Resource Center
      • Certification Resource Center
    • Publicity Kits
    • Patient Safety Topics
      • Emergency Management
      • Workforce Safety and Well-Being
      • Infection Prevention and Control
      • Report a Patient Safety Concern or Complaint
      • Suicide Prevention
      • Zero Harm
    • News & Multimedia
      • Blogs
      • Joint Commission Saves Lives
      • Events
      • Fact Sheets
      • Newsletters
      • News Releases
      • Speakers Bureau
      • Video Resources
      • Webinars
      • The Joint Commission and Social Media
      • Media Information Policy
    • Speakers Bureau
    • Patient Safety
      • World Patient Safety Day
    • Sentinel Event
    • The Physical Environment
      • Utility Systems - EC.02.05.01
      • Means of Egress - LS.02.01.20
      • Built Environment - EC.02.06.01
      • Fire Protection - EC.02.03.05
      • General Requirements - LS.02.01.10
      • Protection - LS.02.01.30
      • Automated Suppression - LS.02.01.35
      • Life Safety Code
    • For Nurses
    • For Physicians
    • For Consumers
      • The Care Badge for Unpaid Caregivers
      • Speak Up Campaigns
      • TakeCHARGE
      • The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety
      • The Smart Parents Guide
      • You The Smart Patient
    • Research
      • Operations Support Research
      • Evaluation Research
      • Health Services Research
      • DataMart
    • Awards
      • Ernest Amory Codman Award
      • John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety and Quality Award
      • Bernard J. Tyson National Award for Excellence in Pursuit of Healthcare Equity
    • Continuing Education Credit Information
      • Continuing Education Credit Information FAQs
    Talking to audience. One member of the board speaking in microphone among other participants of meeting.

    News & Multimedia

    Stay up to date with all the latest Joint Commission news, blog posts, webinars, and communications.

    Group of young creative people collaborating in modern office.

    Patient Safety Topics

    We can make a difference on your journey to provide consistently excellent care for each and every patient.

  1. Home >
  2. Standards >
  3. Standards FAQs >
Regulated Waste - OSHA Definition
Print

What is the definition of "regulated waste?"

Back to FAQs
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 Standards FAQ was first published on this date.
This page was last updated on October 25, 2021
Back to FAQs
Was this response helpful?

If no, please comment on how we could improve this response.

If you have additional standards-related questions regarding this topic, please use the Standards Online Submission Form
A business professional reads off a laptop computer and takes notes on a notepad

Get Extra Help with Books and E-books

Browse our gallery of books and e-books to find trusted prep and readiness resources, practical checklists and toolkits, and resources on specialized health care topics.
Books and e-books
A group of medical professionals seen on a video call on a laptop computer

Stay Informed with Online Education

Online education is the most convenient and cost-effective way to educate your staff and minimize expenses without the need to leave your organization.
Online education
A team of doctors and nurses go over data in a hospital hallway

Reach Your Safety Goals with eProducts

Assessing and sustaining compliance with accreditation standards or CMS CoPs can be a challenge, but it doesn’t have to be. Rely on our proven software solutions developed by our team of industry experts.
Software

Can't Find What You're Looking For?

If you do not find an answer to your question, please contact the Standards Interpretation Group (SIG).

Ask a standards interpretation question

Note: To provide adequate support to those organizations that are either accredited/certified or seeking accreditation/certification, we will only answer those questions submitted by those organizations seeking accreditation/certification or currently accredited/certified by the Joint Commission. The Joint Commission no longer answers questions submitted by students or vendors. Thank you for your understanding.


Chat Bot Icon
Joint Commission Virtual Assistant
  • Joint Commission International
  • Joint Commission Resources
  • Visit us on Facebook facebook
  • Visit us on X X
  • Visit us on LinkedIn linkedin
  • News Room
  • Careers
  • E-Alerts
  • Contact Us
  • Accessibility
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy & Cookies Statement
©2024 The Joint Commission, All Rights Reserved

The Joint Commission is a registered trademark of The Joint Commission enterprise.