costs around $50,000 and can be
leased for about $1,000 a month,
according to Ms. Day. She says it
has already saved her 2-OR, multi-
specialty center about $1,000 a
month in disposal costs because
they don't have to pay to transport
and dispose of nearly as much
red-bag waste as they used to —
the device has reduced the
amount of regulated waste the
facility has to ship out by 80%. The
device also automatically emails
Ms. Day a manifest of what's been
disposed of after each load is
processed, making documentation
for state regulators much easier.
Safe sharps removal
Even though the guidelines for sharps disposal from the National
Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) have been
around for about a quarter-century (osmag.net/9XyJQs), the latest
Exposure Prevention Information Network surveillance
system (EPINet) data suggest that many surgery centers have a long
way to go toward complying with them. The International Safety
Center, a nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to improving the
safety of healthcare workers, issued a report based on 2018 data that
shows 44% of sharps injuries occurred in operating and recovery
rooms.
"We're still seeing injuries happening after use and before disposal,"
N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 9 • O U T PA T I E N T S U R G E R Y. N E T • 1 1 7
• GRIND IT UP A device the size of a standard office photo-
copier steams surgical waste until it's sterile, then shreds it
into a bag of confetti-like shavings that are nontoxic and go
into the regular trash.
Wentworth
Surgery
Center
