Sharpes are only one aspect of medical waste. They are the ones most frequently thought about.

Sharps disposal (click here) by self-injectors is not typically regulated, and self-injectors do not always know the safest disposal methods. This situation could lead to haphazard disposal habits and increased community exposure to sharps. People at the greatest risk of being stuck by used sharps include sanitation and sewage treatment workers, janitors and housekeepers, and children. This document suggests safe options states and local governments can provide citizens for safe needle disposal.

There was a policy developed in 1987 by the CDC called "Universal Precautions"(click here). It was a higher standard of setting a barrier between patients and healthcare practitioners which increased the volume of medical waste.

There is also a term for medical waste that is not "sharps" called OPIM, Other Potentially Infectious Materials. OPIM also increased the volume of medical waste:

OPIM is defined in 29 CFR 1910.1030(b) as:

• The following human body fluids: semen, vaginal secretions, cerebrospinal fluid, synovial fluid, pleural fluid, pericardial fluid, peritoneal fluid, amniotic fluid, saliva in dental procedures, any body fluid that is visibly contaminated with blood, and all body fluids in situations where it is difficult or impossible to differentiate between body fluids;


• Any unfixed tissue or organ (other than intact skin) from a human (living or dead); and


• HIV-containing cell or tissue cultures, organ cultures, and HIV- or HBV-containing culture medium or other solutions; and blood, organs, or other tissues from experimental animals infected with HIV or HBV.

The Bloodborne Pathogens Standard allows for hospitals to use acceptable alternatives [OSHA Directive CPL 02-02-069, (2001, November 27)] to universal precautions:

• Alternative concepts in infection control are called Body Substance Isolation (BSI) and Standard Precautions. These methods define all body fluids and substances as infectious. These methods incorporate not only the fluids and materials covered by the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard but expands coverage to include all body fluids and substances.


• These concepts are acceptable alternatives to universal precautions, provided that facilities utilizing them adhere to all other provisions of the standard.


• For compliance with OSHA Standards, the use of either Universal Precautions or Standard Precautions are acceptable.

The CDC recommends Standard Precautions for the care of all patients, regardless of their diagnosis or presumed infection status.

• Standard Precautions apply to 1) blood; 2) all body fluids, secretions, and excretions,except sweat, regardless of whether or not they contain visible blood; 3) non-intact skin; and 4) mucous membranes. Standard precautions are designed to reduce the risk of transmission of microorganisms from both recognized and unrecognized sources of infection in hospitals.
  • Standard precautions includes the use of: hand washing, appropriate personal protective equipment such as gloves, gowns, masks, whenever touching or exposure to patients' body fluids is anticipated....