ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the occupational safety and health concerns associated with the management of infectious and medical wastes, personnel who are at risk, prudent practices for risk reduction and other management techniques for risk reduction. It is important to recognize these risks and to include in the waste management plan practices that will improve occupational safety by reducing the risks. The occupational safety and health two types are associated with medical waste management: the risk of disease and the risk of injury. The risks of contracting a disease from waste handling are related to the nature of the causative agent present in the waste, the type and degree of exposure, and the health of the host. The Centers for Disease Control estimate that as many as 18,000 health-care workers per year may be infected by hepatitis B virus and that nearly 10% of these become longterm carriers of the virus.
