Biomedical Waste Program
There are approximately 38,000 facilities in Florida that generate biomedical waste. These include hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, laboratories, funeral homes, dentists, veterinarians, physicians, pharmacies that provide flu shots, body piercing salons, tattoo shops, 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 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 (F.A.C.)(60kb PDF)
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)
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) 245-2010. Business IssuesThe 1993 Florida Legislature provided funding for the Biomedical Waste Program from the Solid Waste Management Trust Fund. Additional funding is provided through the annual registration of biomedical waste transporters and the annual permitting of storage and treatment facilities plus those generating facilities that produce at least 25 pounds of biomedical waste in any 30-day period of the year. About 25,000 such facilities are inspected annually. However, the approximately 14,000 generating facilities that produce less than 25 pounds of biomedical waste in each 30-day period of the year are exempt from permitting and from the permit fee, and are inspected Guidance from the Department of Health relative to biomedical waste
management assists facilities in ensuring proper identification, segregation,
containment, storage, and labeling of biomedical waste. The
department has established parameters for the safe handling and
treatment of biomedical waste in Chapter 64E-16, F.A.C. (60kb PDF)
Chapter 64E-16, F.A.C., instructs biomedical waste facilities in providing training to personnel whose responsibilities include some aspect of managing biomedical waste. Such personnel receive training prior to assuming any duties associated with biomedical waste and also thereafter receive an annual refresher course. Training details the procedures included in the facility's written operating plan, as well as compliance with Chapter 64E-16, F.A.C. A video on VHS tape, CD, or DVD to assist in training 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 need. Download FilesThe 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/
How to Apply for a Permit(NOTE: Before applying for a permit, please contact your local County Health Department for current information concerning the correct mailing address and any local fee.)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 (21kb PDF)
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