Waste that poses a risk to the environment and public health is referred to as hazardous and requires special to handle. These are waste like sharps, blood and placentas in healthcare facilities, chemical waste in manufacturing plants or harmful waste at mines. If not handled properly, there may be fatal consequences. Below are some things that individuals and public and private organizations should consider in hazardous waste disposal in Utah.
Laws and regulations
Every state has its own guidelines, laws and regulations for hazardous waste disposal and Utah has these as well. Any organization must, therefore, ensure strict compliance lest they face serious charges.
Handlers Training
All the people who will come into contact with hazardous waste need to be properly trained on the guidelines to be followed for the sake of safety. This training should be continuous and done by hazardous waste disposal experts. It is important to note that at all times; all hazardous waste handlers should use Personal Protective Equipment.
Type of Waste
Knowing the properties of the hazardous waste being handled will highly help in its disposal. Different properties call for different safety measures in storage, transportation or disposal of the waste. For instance, the waste may be corrosive, inflammable, toxic or reactive.
Storage
Before the hazardous waste is disposed, it is temporarily held at the generation point. Correct labeling will be paramount and the containers used for the storage should not leak. From time to time, the containers require inspection to check for leakage as it could lead to detrimental consequences.
Apart from leakage, the material of the container should be considered carefully as some chemical waste may react with some containers. Further, if the waste are in liquid form, the holding containers should be placed on impermeable surfaces. Otherwise, any leakage will cause great harm to the environment.
Transportation
For the process to be complete, hazardous waste must be moved from the point of generation to a legalized hazardous waste management facility. As the generator of the hazardous waste, you are required that you choose a transporting company that is licensed to transport the kind of waste and that meets all legal requirements. Remember that you will be responsible for the waste and thus choose the transporter wisely.
Remediation
In order to reduce the risk of harm caused to the health of the people and the environment, hazardous waste sites can be remediated. You may hire a licensed hazardous waste management company to offer hazardous waste management treatment at the site, or remove the waste as soon as it is generated. If there is a possibility, then mitigation measures may be employed to ensure there is less or no hazardous waste generation.
Ultimately, the major aim of any organization, whether public or private, is to ensure safety and to protect the environment. Ensure all the employees are well trained and that you have experts ensuring total compliance. Since emergencies may occur too, invest in emergency response equipment and have a standby emergency response company that can respond in a timely manner.
