![]() By focusing on our existing protocols and working with our customers to add COVID-19-specific protocols, we are able to best protect our frontline employees and our customers,” Hoboy says. “Our safety protocols are designed for infectious diseases, which now includes COVID-19 waste. While Hoboy says Stericycle employees are already trained to handle dangerous waste, the company has also looked to CDC guidance to inform its policies and procedures. Companies should follow the ongoing updates to the CDC website, as well as updates from local health authorities who are changing guidelines as necessary to accommodate unique local situations during the pandemic,” Hoboy reports. “The key tactics to slow the spread of the virus-social distancing, hand washing, cleaning and disinfection, wearing PPE (including face coverings) and inquiring of our own team members’ health-should be woven into our daily professional lives just as much as in our personal lives. ![]() One thing businesses should not do is disregard recommended protocols and requirements in an attempt to return to “business as usual,” Hoboy says. In addition, Hoboy says that organizations should think about partnering with a knowledgeable waste disposal expert to reduce transmission risk in the workplace. “We are advising companies that this is an extra precaution they can take and recommend following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Occupational Safety and Health Administration and their state, local, tribal and/or territorial health or environmental department(s) to understand the requirements.” “As businesses enact more safety precautions, they have also started to question whether or not they should put disposal protocols in place for discarded PPE and testing materials,” Hoboy says. “Out of an abundance of caution, some businesses are opting to classify these materials as regulated medical waste (RMW), which requires a special type of waste container and a specific process for safe and secure disposal and treatment,” Hoboy says. An important step in addressing the disposal of used PPE is reviewing state guidelines, as some states are creating specific mandates for the industries generating used PPE. Reducing riskĪccording to Stericycle, as companies work towards implementing strategies to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in their work environments, they also need to consider how to dispose of used PPE generated by employees and on-site testing. Moreover, Hoboy says the company has worked to become a resource for safety best practices for those in the healthcare and commercial sector. It also developed destruction services for companies to handle this material in house. The company developed PPE waste pickup and mailback options to help customers dispose of used PPE and testing materials. ![]() “In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we developed a PPE disposal solution to help businesses of all sizes manage the disposal and testing of used PPE to help reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread within the workplace,” Hoboy says. Specifically, the organization worked to develop a special program to reduce the risk of transmission through used personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare and commercial businesses. With its foundation in medical waste services, Stericycle jumped at the chance to answer the call when COVID-related cases spiked late in the first quarter. The company also offers pharmaceutical waste and controlled substance disposal services as well as sharps management, compliance training, document destruction and information security solutions. Presently, Stericycle provides solutions for regulated medical waste management, secure information destruction, compliance, customer contact and brand protection for customers in the U.S. “Since our founding over 30 years ago, we have grown from a small startup in medical waste management into a leader across a range of increasingly complex and highly regulated arenas serving healthcare organizations and commercial businesses of every size,” says Selin Hoboy, vice president of Government Affairs and Compliance at Stericycle. The Bannockburn, Illinois-based business-to-business waste services company and provider of compliance-based solutions has worked to diversify its offerings over more than three decades in an effort to help its clients deal with their waste-related challenges. Stericycle Inc. knows the importance of evolving to meet the needs of its customers.
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