question

[Danielle4]

Hi!

I am a student so I am not familiar with some of these osha regulations and pratices that are practiced throughout the medical field.

I am currently working out of a doctor's office and I have a question I am hoping someone can help me with. This might not be of importance, but I have been wondering this for quite awhile.

when I aloquot the serum out of a tube into another tube I always put the old tube along with the pipet I used into the sharps container as they are as I thought biohazard after having touched the blood.

I have been told by the doctor I am to throw the pipets in the trash and the tubes in sharps. Is there some law against this at all? I do not want to get in trouble and the other doctor I work for wants them in sharps. I am confused as to who is right and if there is a procedure I can follow for this?

confused,

Danielle

[babynurselsa, RN]

I personally would put all in the sharps. These are fragile glass tubes that have someone's blood on them. I am sure the trash people would appreciate not getting cut by bloody glas shards.

[P_RN, ADN, RN]

Biohazards go in the sharps. Period. Tell the doc you ar not risking yours or anyone else's lives over the disposal fee for sharps containers. Our place tried telling us that sharps boxes were for needles and not syringes...stupid or what?

[RNKitty]

What, did they actually want you to RECAP THE NEEDLE, REMOVE THE NEEDLE FROM THE SYRINGE, AND THEN TOSS IT?

Any glass/sharp that can become or is a biohazard should be placed in a sharps box. I don't care about regs on that - let's use common sense.

[Danielle4]

Mainly it is just the pipets she wants us to put into the trash, but they still have reminants of serum in them I would think.

They are not wanting to pay for the extra weight I guess, but I did not think it was that much more weight because they are plastic pipets.

We did have someone stick themselves with a needle from the sharps, but we are all telling them we will not put the needles anywhere but in the sharps. The pipets however they are wanting us to throw away.

I am thinking if I were picking up trash I would not want to touch them. I always wear gloves when I touch them.

[RNKitty]

If the pipets are plastic and won't break or puncture someone's skin, maybe they could go in the biohazard bags instead of the sharps.

[Danielle4]

you are right RNkitty I will do that.

we had another girl get stuck with a needle today. This is the second time this has happened in a couple months.

[MiniRNC]

If the tube is plastic, it can go in a RED bag. I'd use the sharps since I'd be putting the other tube in there. I doubt the pipet wieghs much. This way there is no chance of accidently tossing the glass tube in the bag.