Measures for Medical Wastes Management of Medical and Health Institutions

Measures for Medical Wastes Management of Medical and Health Institutions Order of the Ministry of Public Health of the People's Republic of China (No.36) The Measures for Medical Wastes Management of Medical and Health Institutions, which were adopted at the ministerial meeting of the Ministry of Public Health on August 14, 2003, are hereby promulgated and shall take effect as of the day of promulgation. Wu Yi, the Minister October 15, 2003 Measures for Medical Wastes Management of Medical and Health Institutions Chapter 1 General Rules Article 1 In order to regulate the medical wastes management of medical and health institutions and to effectively prevent and control medical wastes from endangering human health and the environment, the present Measures are hereby formulated in accordance with the Regulation on Medical Wastes Management . Article 2 The medical and health institutions at various levels and of various kinds shall manage medical wastes pursuant to the provisions of the Regulation on Medical Wastes Management . Article 3 The Ministry of Public Health shall supervise the medical wastes management of medical and health institutions of the whole country. The administrative departments of public health of the local people's governments at the county level and above shall supervise the medical wastes management of medical and health institutions within their respective jurisdictions. Chapter 2 Medical Waste Management Duties of Medical and Health Institutions Article 4 A medical and health institution shall establish and perfect the responsibility system of medical wastes management, with its legal representative or major principal being the primary responsible person, earnestly perform its duties and ensure the safe management of medical wastes. Article 5 A medical and health institution shall, pursuant to the relevant laws, administrative regulations, departmental rules and normative documents, formulate and implement rules and systems for the management of medical wastes, the work flow and requirements, the duties of the relevant personnel, and the emergent scheme for flowing, leakage, spreading and accidents of medical wastes within the institution. The contents shall include: 1) Methods of classified collection of medical wastes and the work requirements of the places generating medical wastes within the medical and health institution; 2) Work rules of the places generating medical wastes and the places of temporary storage of medical wastes within the medical and health institution, and the work requirements for carrying the wastes from the generating places to the temporary storage places; 3) Provisions on the relevant handover and registration in the carriage of medical wastes within the medical and health institution and in delivering wastes to the disposal entities. 4) Special operational procedures in the management of medical wastes and emergent measures for the flowing, leakage, expansion and accidents of medical wastes; 5) Occupational health safety protection of the relevant working staffs engaged in the classified collection, carriage, and temporary storage of medical wastes. Article 6 A medical and health institution shall establish a monitoring body or allocate full-time (part-time) personnel to be responsible for medical wastes management and perform the following duties: 1) Directing and inspecting the implementation of the work in the process of classified collection, carriage, temporary storage, and internal disposal of medical wastes; 2) Directing and inspecting the occupational health safety protection work in the process of classified collection, carriage, temporary storage, and internal disposal of medical wastes; 3) Organizing emergent treatment in the event of flowing leakage, spreading and accidents of medical wastes; 4) Organizing the training relating to medical wastes management; 5) Managing the relevant registration and archives of medical wastes; 6) Analyzing and dealing with other problems arising in the management of medical wastes in good time. Article 7 A medical and health institution shall, in the event of flowing, leakage, and spreading of medical wastes, report to the administrative departments of public health and of environmental protection of the people's government at the county level of the place where it is located within 48 hours, and after the investigation and handling, the medical and health institution shall report the investigation and handling results to the said departments. The administrative department of public health of the people's government at the county level shall pass on such report level by level to the administrative department of public health of the local people's government at the provincial level each month. The administrative department of public health of the people's government at the provincial level shall gather those reports and submit them to the Ministry of Public Health on the semi-annual basis. Article 8 Where a medical and health institution has caused death to 1 or more persons or health detriment to 3 or more persons as a result of improper management of medical wastes and needs to provide medical aid and on-the-spot rescue to the injured persons, it shall report to the administrative departments of public health and of environmental protection of the people's government at the county level of the place where it is located within 24 hours, and shall take corresponding emergent measures in accordance with the Regulation on Medical Wastes Management . The administrative department of public health of the people's government at the county level shall, after receiving the report, report level by level to the administrative department of public health of the people's government at the provincial level within 12 hours. The administrative department of public health of the people's government at the provincial level shall, after receiving the report, report to the Ministry of Public Health within 12 hours. Where medical wastes have, as found out, caused the spreading of infectious diseases or where there is evidence showing that an accident of spreading of infectious diseases is likely to happen, the medical and health institution shall make a report pursuant to the Law on Infectious Diseases Control and other relevant provisions and take corresponding measures. Article 9 A medical and health institution shall formulate and organize the implementation of the training plans of the relevant personnel in respect of the professional skills, occupational health safety protection and emerge treatment knowledge, etc., that are needed in the process of classified collection, carriage, temporary storage, and internal disposal of medical wastes. Chapter 3 Classified Collection, Carriage and Temporary Storage Article 10 A medical and health institution shall apply classified management of medical wastes in accordance with the Catalogue of Classifications of Medical Wastes Article 11 A medical and health institution shall collect medical wastes on a classified basis and in good time pursuant to the following requirements: 1) Placing the medial wastes separately in packages or containers that are in conformity with the Provisions on the Standards and Warning Marks of Special Packages and Containers of Medical Wastes according to the types of the medical wastes; 2) Before placing the medical wastes, carefully checking the packages or containers of medical wastes to ensure that they are not damaged, leaky or otherwise defective; 3) Refraining from mixing the infectious, pathological, damaging, drug, and chemical wastes in the process of collection. Small quantities of drug wastes may be mixed with infectious wastes, but indications shall be made on the label; 4) Executing the relevant laws and administrative regulations and the relevant provisions of the state in management of the abandoned narcotic, psychotropic, radioactive, and poisonous drugs, etc., and the relevant wastes; 5) Handing over the batch-use waste chemical reagents and waste disinfectors in chemical wastes to the specialized agencies for disposal; 6) Handing over the batch-use medical utensils, such as thermometers containing mercuric and blood-pressure meters, etc., to the specialized agencies for disposal; 7) ......