Getting rid of the bits...

Re: Getting rid of the bits...

Niall Taylor — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:13:04 GMT

[quote user="Hannah Wynne Richards"]Niall Ours not to reason why where the entire "elf and safety " industry is concerned[/quote]

That's exactly it - Health and Safety is a good thing, it's the industry which has grown up around it that sucks.

Niall

Re: Getting rid of the bits...

Niall Taylor — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 15:11:08 GMT

[quote user="derrick carpenter"]

I remember seeing practice somewhere (naming no names) that had a German Shepherd belonging to one of the vets that would enjoy the scraps from the operating table...

[/quote]

Niall

Re: Getting rid of the bits...

derrick carpenter — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 13:52:54 GMT

I remember seeing practice somewhere (naming no names) that had a German Shepherd belonging to one of the vets that would enjoy the scraps from the operating table...

Re: Getting rid of the bits...

James Allsop — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 11:35:52 GMT

In my old practice we had a "limb bin" in the freezer which we added any non-hazardous anatomical waste to. Once the bin was full the waste collection company took it with the cadavers for cremation.

Re: Getting rid of the bits...

Bob Russell — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 10:25:26 GMT

I am afraid I blame the combination of the Environment Agency who want a mirror image of the NHS waste stream and the BVA. This approach is complete nonsense of course. The risks associated with veterinary waste are generally negligible!

I cannot see that the BVA have been at all robust in pushing a common sense, risk assessment based policy. They seem to have encouraged more and more pointless and elaborate ways of disposing of veterinary waste.

In small animal practice there is very, very little truly hazardous waste but quite a lot you would want to avoid sticking your hand in!!

Re: Getting rid of the bits...

Laurence Webb — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 10:04:23 GMT

[quote user="Julian Earl"]This was the waste collection people not the H&S company[/quote]That tends to explain a lot.

We've just changed out waste collection company and magically the number of bins in each room has shrunk back to the level in the good old days. Fewer bags in the freezer, less paperwork and costs a lot less too.

A cynic might suggest that they were overcomplicating things to generate more income. I, of course, have no libelous opinions on the matter.

Re: Getting rid of the bits...

Hannah Wynne Richards — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 09:43:03 GMT

Niall Ours not to reason why where the entire "elf and safety " industry is concerned

Grrrr

Wynne

Re: Getting rid of the bits...

Niall Taylor — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 16:27:12 GMT

[quote user="Julian Earl"] in another section they clearly state "Any anatomical waste including placentas, limbs and animal carcasses should be disposed of into red lidded leak-proof rigid containersfor incineration only"[/quote]

It makes no sense in vet med to treat body parts any different from cadavers. What is a cadaver if not a collection of body parts all joined together? How does a limb which would have gone down the cadaver waste stream attached to the rest of the body if euthanasia had been the preferred option, suddenly become hazardous once amputated?

Niall

Re: Getting rid of the bits...

Julian Earl — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 13:15:22 GMT

[quote user="Niall Taylor"]

[quote user="Julian Earl"]we've had a H&S/waste audit and been told we need red-topped, secure sealing yellow bins for all anatomical waste.[/quote]

Agree absolutely with Bob - this is complete and utter nonsense; who do they think you are, Holby City Hospital?

A suitably labelled bag in the freezer is more than adequate for the small amount of anatomical waste generated by vet practices, all of which is low risk. Forget the bins and change your health and safety people!

Niall

[/quote]

Thanks to all. This was the waste collection people not the H&S company. They are a bit ambiguous in their report: theatre waste such as bloody or heavily soiled swabs, infectious waste, anatomical waste, non-haz syringes, soiled gloves/dressings, and tissue samples can go in to yellow bags, as we have always done BUT in another section they clearly state "Any anatomical waste including placentas, limbs and animal carcasses should be disposed of into red lidded leak-proof rigid containersfor incineration only".

I think I know the solution.

Re: Getting rid of the bits...

Niall Taylor — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 07:19:21 GMT

[quote user="Julian Earl"]we've had a H&S/waste audit and been told we need red-topped, secure sealing yellow bins for all anatomical waste.[/quote]

Agree absolutely with Bob - this is complete and utter nonsense; who do they think you are, Holby City Hospital?

Niall

Re: Getting rid of the bits...

Charlotte Marshall — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 23:45:41 GMT

I looked carefully at the latest BVA guide and could not work out where it thought you should put non infectious anatomical waste at all! There was nowhere on the chart which said what to do with cat uteruses etc.

Re: Getting rid of the bits...

Bob Russell — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 17:19:56 GMT

[quote user="Julian Earl"]

Bit of a dull but important question really: we've had a H&S/waste audit and been told we need red-topped, secure sealing yellow bins for all anatomical waste. However, bearing in mind that our normal suppliers and anyone else we can find can only provide 32 litre containers and that these require very approximately 16,000 cat uteruses to fill, we thought it might be starting to smell by the time we filled it.

What do other people use - there must be smaller ones out there surely?

Thanks in advance

[/quote]

Bull!

Our waste management company have a fairly sensible attitude (until instructed otherwise) that subject to risk assessment (infection risk etc) there is nothing inappropriate in treating this waste as if it is low risk. The infection risk for a cats uterus or a dogs boll*cks is far lower than the out of date chicken from the kitchen fridge.

We put such waste into white bags which then go into the freezer. They will then be classified as clinical waste (up comes the argument as to hazardous or non-hazardous). For aesthetic purposes only we classify it as hazardous so into an orange bag it goes. Then off to the incinerator!

Change the auditing process to one that actually takes into account the real risks rather than the risk that would be present if they were human 'bits'.

The latest BVA guide went into recycling because it introduced a whole load of new and pointless bins and bags.

Just because someone says you must do something does not make it right. Common sense is a suitable defense at times!

Re: Getting rid of the bits...

Rob Loxley — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 17:16:56 GMT

We have anatomical waste bags, printed as such.