• Medical Waste Accumulation Sites:
  • Room must be locked and accessible only to those who have a legitimate business need (e.g. medical waste generators, medical waste haulers, and accumulation site manager).
  • Room postings including biohazard label and signage with contact information for the site manager must be current and legible.
  • Post the "caution" statement (both in English and Spanish) provided by the CA Medical Waste Management Act (this text can be found on the UC Davis Medical Waste Checklist).
  • There must be a biological spill cleanup kit which contains the appropriate PPE and unexpired disinfection components.  Spill cleanup instructions must also be available (EH&S SafetyNet # 127).
• All lab areas must be neat and tidy.
• All waste in the accumulation receptacle must be in medical waste bags or medical waste sharps containers (as appropriate); no uncontained waste is permitted in the transport receptacles.
• Outermost red biohazard bag lining Stericycle’s transport container must be labeled as passing both ASTM 1709 and ASTM 1922 standards.
• Before transporting medical waste to an accumulation site, be sure to tie-off the bag so that its contents will not spill out, and transport the red bag in a leak-proof, lidded, labeled secondary container. 

CDPH Compliant Medical Waste Practices

Biohazard Bags:

• Must be red in color and labeled with the biohazard symbol and the word “biohazard”.
• Must always be in a compliant secondary container.
• Must be intact with no waste penetrating out of the bag.
• Must be tied shut so that none of the contents can fall out of the bag under any circumstance.
• *Outermost bag in Stericycle offsite transport container must be labeled as passing both ASTM 1709 and ASTM 1922 standards (new to 2015).

• Must be composed of a smooth, nonporous material that is easily decontaminated.
• Must have a tight fitting lid that is secured shut when waste is not actively being generated.
• Must be rigid, puncture- and leak-proof.
• Must be labeled with the biohazard symbol and the word “biohazard” on the lid and all visible sides.
• Must always be equipped with a compliant biohazard bag that properly fits within the secondary container.
• Must not be overfilled.
• Must undergo routine decontamination.
• Should never have items placed on top of it.

• Must be labeled with the biohazard symbol and the word “biohazard” on one side of the container.
• Must contain only biohazardous sharps waste, no mixed waste (e.g. regular trash, chemical waste, radiation waste, etc.).
• Must never be overfilled, i.e. cannot have any waste present above the “fill line”.
• Must be completely intact, no cracks or broken lids.
• If repurposing biohazardous sharps container for non-hazardous sharps collection you must completely deface the biohazard label.
• Must never be lined with a biohazard bag.

• Medical waste must always be transported to an accumulation site in a compliant secondary container. Never hand carry a red biohazard bag.
• Transport container must be a rigid, lidded, labeled container that is composed of nonporous materials and is readily decontaminated.
• Transport containers must be sanitized prior to exiting the lab and entering public hallways.
• Medical waste must never be left unattended in public spaces.
• Solid biohazardous waste must be taken to a medical waste accumulation site within 7 days from the initial time of generation.
• Filled biohazardous sharps containers must be taken to a medical waste accumulation site within 30 days.

• Room must be locked and accessible only to those who are trained on biohazardous materials and have a legitimate business need (e.g. medical waste generators, medical waste haulers, and accumulation site manager).
• Room postings including biohazard label and signage with contact information for the site manager must be current and legible.
• Post the "caution" statement (both in English and Spanish) provided by the CA Medical Waste Management Act.
• The area must be clean and free of pests.
• All waste in the accumulation receptacle must be in medical waste bags or medical waste sharps containers (as appropriate); no uncontained waste is permitted in the receptacles.
• All waste receptacles in used must be sealed shut with a tight fitting lid.
• *Outermost bag in Stericycle offsite transport container must be labeled as passing both ASTM 1709 and ASTM 1922 standards (new to 2015).