Waste, laundry & clinical waste Risk Assessment Template

Typical hazards & measures

• Loose blades in laundry — Open and discard blades chairside; check towels and bed roll before bagging; keep magnet sweepers at laundry entry; train staff to handle with palms outward; isolate any strike with an incident report and retraining before reopening the chute.
• Overfilled bins and bag bursts — Change bags at two-thirds full; double-bag only if leaking; use heavy-duty liners sized to the bin; tie with gooseneck knots and label immediately; schedule mid-shift checks so full containers never block routes or force risky compaction by hand.
• Clinical waste misclassification — Define clinical criteria in SOPs with product examples; apply orange or yellow bags as required; lock clinical bins between uses; reject incorrectly bagged loads at source and retrain; record each correction to reinforce consistent decisions.
• Aerosols and pressurised cans in waste — Empty completely, pierce only in approved devices, and store upright in labelled metal bins away from heat; never compact; segregate from clinical waste; arrange specialised uplift; brief staff not to bin near dryers or heaters.
• Sharps in general waste — Mount UN-approved sharps bins at arm’s reach; never floor-stand; drop immediately after use and lock at two-thirds; brief cleaners to report any needle in general bins; investigate and coach the originator the same shift with a short action note.