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 filled- 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. 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 thorough our bi-monthly newsletter.