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What We Do
| Contact Info: Gina Vallone-Hood or Ed Golding
DOH-HSEC
4052 Bald Cypress Way, BIN A08, Tallahassee, Florida,
32399-1710.
(850) 245-4277
FAX (850) 487-0864
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| More Info:
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There are approximately 30,000 biomedical waste
facilities in Florida. These include hospitals, clinics, nursing
homes, laboratories, funeral homes, dentists, veterinarians, physicians,
transporters, and storage and treatment facilities. The objective
of the biomedical waste program is to protect health care workers,
environmental-service staff, waste haulers, and the general public
from risks associated with potentially infectious biomedical waste.
Both the Department of Health and the Florida
Department
of Environmental Protection
have responsibilities under this program. The Department of
Environmental Protection has primary responsibility for biomedical
waste incineration and final disposal. The Department of Health
has primary authority and responsibility for facilities that generate,
transport, store, or treat biomedical waste through processes other
than incineration.
When biomedical waste is improperly managed, it
places health care workers, sanitation workers, and the general
public at risk for contracting dangerous diseases.
Chapter 64E-16, Florida
Administrative Code (80kb PDF)
,
requires facilities that generate biomedical waste to ensure proper
management of that waste. A
model biomedical waste
operating plan (38kb PDF)
is available to assist facilities in documenting their procedures
for management of biomedical waste. Many facilities have their
biomedical waste removed by a registered
biomedical waste transporter.
Biomedical waste generated by individuals in their
own homes from use of syringes or diagnostic lancets also should
be properly managed. Many homeowners
can find assistance through a local county
needle collection program. Where biomedical waste is produced
in a home through injury or other major traumatic conditions, the
guidelines for home
cleanup of biomedical waste (40KB PDF)
provide guidance for proper cleanup or trauma
scene clean up providers can be contacted to manage site decontamination.
Complaints concerning biomedical waste are investigated
by County Health Departments.
Small amounts of improperly disposed biomedical waste are cleaned
up under Department of Health supervision. Emergency situations
are referred to the Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau
of Emergency Response, at (850) 488-2974.
The 1993 Florida Legislature provided funding for
the Biomedical Waste Program from the Solid Waste Management Trust
Fund. Additional funding is provided through the annual permitting
of facilities that generate at least 25 pounds of biomedical waste
in any 30-day period. Permitted facilities are inspected annually.
Facilities that produce less than 25 pounds of biomedical waste
in each 30-day period are exempt from permitting, and are inspected
every three years.
Department of Health oversight of biomedical waste
management is conducted to assure proper identification, segregation,
containment, storage, and labeling of biomedical waste. The
department has established parameters for the safe handling and
treatment of biomedical waste. The department has produced
lists of commercial biomedical waste treatment
facilities and of red bags for biomedical
waste containment that meet the standards of Chapter 64E-16, F.A.C.
Other red bags also may be used if they meet the construction standards
required by Chapter 64E-16, F.A.C.
Chapter 64E-16, F.A.C., requires biomedical waste
facilities to provide training to personnel whose responsibilities
include some aspect of managing biomedical waste. Such personnel
must be trained prior to assuming any duties associated with biomedical
waste, and they must receive an annual refresher course. Training
must detail the procedures included in the facilitys written operating
plan, as well as compliance with Chapter 64E-16, F.A.C. A
video to assist in meeting the training requirement can be purchased
from the Department of Health for $22.00. The order form can
be downloaded from below.
If you are in business as a biomedical waste generator
or transporter, or operate a storage or treatment facility, or intend
to do so, you can download from below the permit, registration,
and report forms you require.
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on August 29, 2008, the Department
of Health received a Petition for Permanent Emergency Variance from Rules
64E-16.007 2 e, Florida Administrative Code and 64E-16.007 4 j, Florida
Administrative Code, from Karen Albretsen on behalf of
M.C.M. Environmental Technologies, Inc., manufacturer of the SteriMed Senior and
Junior Alternative Medical Waste Treatment Units. These rules require biomedical
waste treatment units to be evaluated for effectiveness with spores of Bacillus
stearothermophilus at least once each 7 days for permitted treatment facilities,
or once each 40 hours of operation for generators who treat their own biomedical
waste. The spores shall be placed at the center of the waste load. The
Petitioner requests a Permanent Emergency Variance from the rule to allow the
Petitioner to evaluate effectiveness by using spores of Bacillus atrophopheus
placed into a chamber located in the lower tank of the SteriMed unit and/or
parametric monitoring. Comments on this Petition should be filed with the Agency
Clerk, Department of Health, Office of the General Counsel, 4052 Bald Cypress
Way, Bin A02, Tallahassee, Florida 32399, within 5 days of publication of this
notice. A copy of the petition may be obtained from Gina Vallone-Hood, Bureau of
Community Environmental Health, 4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin A08, Tallahassee,
Florida 32399 or by calling (850)245-4273.
The rules and forms for this program are available
from the links listed below. All the files are in pdf
format. If your computer cannot read pdf files, you can download
Adobe Acrobat Reader, at no charge, from the Adobe Internet
site at http://www.adobe.com/
.
All the links below open a new window.
Biomedical Waste Generator Permits (issued to facilities
that produce biomedical waste) are issued by area biomedical waste
coordinators. To find out who your coordinator is, check the
list of biomedical waste coordinators.
To apply for the permit, complete and return Department of Health
form DH4089 (12kb PDF)
to your biomedical waste coordinator along with the required $55.00
annual fee. For initial permits, the fee is pro-rated during
the last two quarters of the permit year, which is from October
1 to September 30.
Individuals interested in transporting biomedical
waste must obtain a Biomedical Waste Transporter Registration.
To register as a transporter, complete Department of Health form
DH 4106 (13kb PDF)
and submit it to your area biomedical waste coordinator. The
fee for transporter registration varies, as it is based on the number
of transport vehicles used. Your area biomedical waste coordinator
will help you determine the correct fee for your business.
Rule requirements for transporters are included in
Chapter 64E-16, F.A.C.
(80kb PDF)
.
Biomedical waste storage facilities also must be
permitted. Completed Application for Biomedical Waste Storage
Permit forms, DH4107
(9kb PDF)
,
should be submitted with the required $55.00 fee to your area biomedical
waste coordinator. Rule requirements for storage facilities
are included in Chapter
64E-16, F.A.C. (80kb PDF)
.
Facilities for the commercial treatment of biomedical
waste must complete an Application for Biomedical Waste Treatment
Permit, form DH4111
(11kb PDF)
,
and submit it to their area biomedical waste coordinator along with
the required $55.00 fee. Rule requirements for treatment facilities
are included in Chapter
64E-16, F.A.C. (80kb PDF)
.
Sharps-collection programs also must be permitted.
An Application for Biomedical Waste Sharps Collection Program Permit,
form DH4108 (8kb
PDF)
,
must be completed and submitted to your area biomedical waste coordinator.
There is no charge for this permit. Rule requirements for
sharps-collection programs are included in
Chapter 64E-16, F.A.C.
(80kb PDF)
.
General questions concerning the biomedical waste
program can be directed via e-mail to
NOTE: Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are
public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a
public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead,
contact this office by phone or in writing.
Gina Vallone-Hood
or
Ed Golding,
in the Bureau of Community Environmental Health, HSEC, 4052 Capital
Circle SE, BIN A08, Tallahassee, Florida, 32399-1710. Ms.
Vallone-Hood and Dr. Golding can be reached by telephone at (850) 245-4277.
We welcome your comments and suggestions.
They will be used to improve the services provided by this website
and can be directed via e-mail to
NOTE: Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are
public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released
in response to a public records request, do not send electronic
mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in
writing.
Gina Vallone-Hood
or
Ed Golding.
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