Medical Waste Management Audit

This inspection checklist can be used to ensure that the appropriate medical waste management systems are in place in healthcare facilities, ensuring compliance with relevant guidelines.

Medical Waste Management Audit



General

1. Is a written management plan available for non-hazardous general waste, liquid medical waste, and solid medical waste?


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2. Are staff responsibilities clearly assigned to cover all steps in the waste management process?


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3. Are appropriate and adequate supplies and equipment for infection prevention and waste management including decontaminants, containers, and protective clothing available?


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4. Are infection prevention job aids and medical waste management protocols or curricula from USAID, EngenderHealth, WHO, etc. available and enforced?


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Sorting

1. Are there internal rules for appropriate separation of waste by type at the place where it is generated?


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2. Are needles and sharps disposed of in special sharps containers such as covered leak-proof, puncture-proof cardboard boxes, plastic bottles, or tin cans?


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Handling

1. Is there appropriate collection and transportation of medical waste within the facility?


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2. Is medical waste handled as little as possible before temporary storage and disposal?


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3. Are waste containers removed and emptied from operating, procedure, and sluice rooms before they are completely full, at least once a day?


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4. Is good hygiene observed?


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5. Is appropriate protective clothing worn while handling medical waste?


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Interim Storage

1. Is medical waste appropriately and temporarily stored safely, packaged, and labelled within the facility?


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2. Is medical waste stored for not more than 24 hours, before disposal?


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3. Is medical waste stored in a designated, closed-off area that is minimally accessible to staff, visitors,


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4. Is medical waste stored away from food preparation or food storage or food consumption areas (like cafeterias)?


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5. Is the correct protocol followed in case of any spills, injury or exposure to medical waste?


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Final Disposal

1. Are solid medical waste, liquid medical waste, sharps, and hazardous chemical waste from the health facility eliminated appropriately?


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2. Is solid waste disposed of appropriately; if possible, at the facility, under the supervision of staff who understand the risks, by burning or burying, or by transporting it to an off-site disposal site?


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Burning

1. If final disposal of solid waste is by burning, is it carried out in a drum or brick incinerator?


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2. If the disposal is by open burning, is it done in a small designated area far from the premises?


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3. If the waste is wet, is it doused with kerosene first before starting the fire?


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Burying

1. If final disposal of solid waste is by burying, is this done safely for example at a designated, fenced, or walled-off space in view of the facility, with a pit large enough for all the solid medical waste generated at the site, to prevent scavenging and accidental injury?


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2. Does the pit have an impermeable plastic or clay lining?


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3. Is the burial pit at least 50 metres away from any water source, to prevent contamination?


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4. Does the site have proper drainage?


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5. Is it located downhill from any wells, free of standing water, in an area that does not flood?


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6. Is the bottom of the pit 2 meters above the water table?


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7. Is the waste covered with 10–30 cm of soil?


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Off-site Disposal

1. If final disposal is off-site, are precautions taken to ensure that waste is transported and disposed of safely?


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Checklist by GoAudits.com – Please note that this checklist is intended as an example. We do not guarantee compliance with the laws applicable to your territory or industry. You should seek professional advice to determine how this checklist should be adapted to your workplace or jurisdiction.

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