California Requirements for Contaminated Sharps Disposal

All contaminated disposable sharps generated in a California dental office must be placed into a sharps container, which should¹ be placed in each operatory where disposable sharps are used. The sharps container must be rigid, puncture-resistant, leakproof, portable if necessary to be accessible, and labeled with the biohazard symbol. When the container is ready for disposal, the container must be closable, leak-proof, and sealed so that it is difficult to open.

Sharps containers ready for disposal, i.e. full to the fill line, must be transported offsite within 30 days for small quantity generators (who generate less than 20 pounds of total biohazardous waste per month). The thirty-day count begins when the sharps container is full to the container fill-line, which ends up being about 3/4 full.

There are a few options from which to choose to dispose of contaminated sharps waste:

• Have the sharps waste hauled off by a medical waste transporter registered with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).
• Send it via mail to a sharps waste mail-back vendor approved by the U.S. Postal Service.
• Neutralize and dispose of the sharps waste using a CDPH-approved, permit-exempt, alternative waste treatment technology (i.e. Isolyser).

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¹ Cal/OSHA has cited dental offices for having sharps containers only in the sterilization area. Therefore, it is highly recommended to place a sharps container in each operatory.

OSHA Review, Inc. is a registered continuing education provider in the State of California, specializing in Dental Practice Act, infection control, and Cal/OSHA training. OSHA Review subscribers in California receive updated regulatory compliance and infection control training through our bi-monthly newsletter.