Biomedical Waste Management Authorization

It is believed that hospitals generate an enormous amount of bio-medical waste every year that must be managed effectively. For instance, proper waste management is crucial in maintaining a healthy environment, not just for the hospitals but for the environment on a more significant level. This guide explores various factors related to bio-medical waste management and handling or disposal of bio-medical waste.
    
It is undeniable how hospitals deal with a wide range of bio-medical waste, which requires safe handling and disposal. Failing to comply with the same gives birth to various issues, causing a nuisance to the environment, causing pollution or encouraging any legal troubles. In this guide, we discuss the significance of bio-medical waste management, the categorization of the waste, and the measures adopted in matters of waste management. 

Now, whether you are a hospital administrator or a healthcare professional, this guide will fulfil your needs by providing you with the required knowledge and the tools to ensure that the hospital environment is safer and sounder. Let us explore the world of bio-medical waste management and its significance in creating a healthier environment. 

What is Meant by Bio-medical Waste Management?

Bio-medical waste is those wastes generated from healthcare activities, which are contagious to many diseases. Like that, the board regulates carrying out the provisions of the Bio-medical Waste Management Rules, 2016, which highlights the norms around the storage, treatment and disposal of BMWs. 

The rationale behind Bio-medical waste practice mainly centres on reducing, recycling and reusing waste. It restricts waste generation while managing it better than simply disposing of it. 

According to Biomedical Waste Management 2016, "bio-medical waste" means any waste that is generated during the diagnosis, treatment or immunization of human beings or animals or research activities about it or in the production or testing of biological or health camps, including the categories mentioned in Schedule I appended to these rules. 

Therefore, efforts have been made to improve the processes of collection, segregation or disposal of bio-medical wastes in an eco-friendly manner, which would eventually minimize the bio-medical waste generation, keeping in view its influence on the environment.

The rules as per the Bio-medical waste management apply to the persons, who generate, collect, receive, and store bio-medical waste in various forms including clinics, nursing homes, dispensaries and pathological laboratories, research, clinical establishments, educational institutions, medical and surgical camps with forensic laboratories.

It is widely acknowledged that the establishments undertaking battery waste management must seek necessary permissions and authorizations, which are primarily meant for the non-bedded occupiers, with which the Biomedical Waste Authorisation puts forth the needed requirements or the procedures, which mainly highlight-

• In obtaining the authorisation, the respective HCEs falling within these rules must submit the Annual-returns on the records of the biomedical waste generation along with the disposal to the State Board by 30th June each year as per the prescribed form IV from the Bio-medical Waste management rules, 2016.
• With the provision of these rules, it becomes essential for the HCEs to be able to treat the Bio-medical waste management generation via the authorised facility of Bio-medical waste treatment facility (CBWTF)

Bio-medical waste consists of a categorisation, which includes two categories, let us have a look-

The duties and responsibilities are no less than the necessary steps that ensure that biomedical waste management is undertaken well and is handled without any negative effect on the environment and human health along with the rules, that mention- 

Duties of the Authorities

• It mentions a provision meant for the safe, secured and ventilated location for the storage of the segregation of biomedical waste, especially in the containers or the coloured bags in the manner specified as per Schedule I, to make sure there are no forms of secondary handling, pilferage or recyclables or spillage by animals as well as the bio-medical waste form such a place/ premises that needs to be transported as per those rules prevailing to the bio-medical waste from a place that is transported in a manner with the biomedical waste treatment facility with the adequate form of treatment or disposal;
• To pre-treat the laboratory waste, microbiological waste and blood bags via disinfection or sterilisation on-site as per the manner prescribed by World Health Organisation (WHO) or National AIDs control organisation ( NACO) guidelines, which is then forwarded to the common bio-medical waste treatment facility for the means to final disposal;
• It demands them to phase out chlorinated plastic bags, blood bags, along gloves within two years from the date of the notification of these major rules; 
• Disposal of solid waste, besides the bio-medical waste following the provisions of the respective waste management rules that are established as per the relevant laws passed on from time to time;
• It does not give the treated bio-medical waste with the municipal solid waste. 

Therefore, it does not end here, but there are many other rules for treating Bio-medical waste management. 

Duties of the operator

It is the duty of every operator -

• To undertake the vital step in ensuring that the bio-medical waste gathered from the occupier is transported, stored handled and disposed of, without having any negative effects on the environment or human health based on the guidelines and rules issued by the Central Government, the central pollution control board promptly. 
• It is to ensure the collection of the bio-medical waste from the occupier as per the mentioned rules;
• It is vital to inform the respective authorities, regarding the occupier that does not handle the segregated bio-medical waste based on the rules and regulations.
• To provide the required training to the workers involved in the handling of bio-medical waste, during the induction, at least once a year;
• To undertake the medical examination during the indiction or maybe once a year to immunise the workers with the tasks of handling the bio-medical waste from any diseases, such as Hepatitis B and tetanus, which are transmitted easily, while handling the bio-medical waste, while maintaining the records for the same. 

Rules around Segregation, packaging, transportation and Storage 

The rules around segregation, packaging, transportation and storage consist of the following- 

• No untreated bio-medical wastes should be mixed with other wastes.
• The bio-medical waste needs to be segregated into bags or containers based on the rules as mentioned in Schedule I, prior to the storage, transportation or treatment and disposal. 
• Most importantly, the bar code and the global positioning system must be added by the occupier and the common bio-medical waste treatment facility within a frame of one year.
• The operator of the bio-medical waste treatment facility, should transfer the bio-medical waste from the premises of the  occupier and ship it to any off-site treatment facility, allowing the vehicles that are labelled under Part ‘A’ of the schedule IV with the required information as mentioned in the part ‘B’the schedule IV.
• The vehicles carrying the biomedical waste have to conform to the guidelines as mentioned by the State Pollution Control Board ( SPCB) along with the requirement as mentioned per the Motor Vehicles Act,1989 ( 59 of 1988), in cases, where these rules are especially made applicable under the transportation involving the infectious waste. 
• Lastly, the microbiology waste along with clinical laboratory waste requires to be pre-treated with the sterilisation to Log 6 or disinfection to Log 4, as prescribed per the World Health Organization guidelines, much before packing or sending it to the common bio-medical waste treatment facility.

The documents required for authorization under Biomedical Waste Management Rules, 2016 are as follows-

For bedded Health Care Facilities (HCFs)

• Application in Form-II of Biomedical Waste Management Rules, 2016
• Authorization fees for five years for the Red Category (Total wastewater Generation of more than 100 KLD or with incinerator) and ten years for the Orange-category (Total wastewater generation of up to 100 KLD and without Incinerator) through online payment as per the Board’s fee structure.
• Copy of consent to operate order issued by SPCB, Odisha.
• Agreement copy with the Common Biomedical Waste Treatment Facility (in case of units joined with CBWTF).

For non-bedded Health Care Facilities (HCFs)

• Application in Form-II of Biomedical Waste Management Rules, 2016.
• Authorization fees one time through online payment as per Board’s fee structure.
• Agreement copy with the Common Biomedical Waste Treatment Facility (in case of units joined with CBWTF).

For Common Biomedical Waste Treatment Facility (CBWTF)

• Application in Form-II of Biomedical Waste Management Rules, 2016.
• Authorization fee for five years through online payment as per Board’s fee structure.
• Copy of consent to operate order issued by SPCB, Odisha.
• Map with GPS locations of CBWTF and area of coverage.
• Contingency plan of CBWTF.

The step-by-step procedure to achieve the bio-medical waste management Authorisation is as follows-

Step 1:- Contact Corpseed 

First, contact Corpseed as your one-stop solution provider. 

Step 2:- Corpseed aligns a dedicated professional 

Secondly, Corpseed aligns a dedicated professional to help you with Biomedical waste management 

Step 3:- Filling out the Application

In the third step, we help you fill out the application as stated in the Form II, which will be submitted by us on your behalf to the concerned authority. It is a crucial step in encouraging you to attain the authorisation.

Step 4:- Authorisation from the authority 

In the following step, the authority will perform its role of granting you with the authorisation as per Form III, which includes mainly the validity of the authorisation for the healthcare facility and also with the operator of the common facility having consent validity.

Step 5:- Granted Authorisation 

You need to note that the authorisation is mainly for the non-bedded occupiers and in all these cases, it has been granted, and not forced by the authority within a span of ninety days, including the date of receipt of the required application found to be attached with the respective documents. 

Note- In the cases of the refusal/Renewal or cancellation of authorisation from the main authority, the reasons hailing from the same will have to be recorded in writing, only after the permissions from the authority, who would allow the applicant to be heard before any authorisation is granted. 

Therefore, you need not worry about the hassle, as you have the right guide to encourage or assist you with Bio-medical waste management.

At Corpseed, we deeply value the immense impact of businesses in India. Our Unwavering commitment to ensuring smooth operations and long-term success is rooted in our understanding of the crucial role regulations and requirements play in achieving these goals. We recognise the complexities and challenges entrepreneurs face when navigating the legal landscape and are dedicated to providing comprehensive guidance and support. With our team of experienced experts, we help our clients obtain accreditation, enabling them to achieve their full potential.