One of my more inglorious responsibilities includes handling the biohazard waste collection and removal. I arrived at work this morning to find a very lovely note asking me if I could tend to it post haste. Accordingly, I did, but in the process of doing it, owing to the circumstances, I was poked by something sharp in the soft biohazard waste hard enough that it punctured me and drew blood. I have now become a safety "incident". The incident could have been avoided in one of two ways, both of which have to do with propriety over expediency.
In one of the laboratory classrooms, we have a vestigial collection system. Budget constraints have made it a low priority until now, but the container amounts to what looks like a tomato cage inside of which a biohazard bag is hung. The opening is large, always open, and unclearly marked as to what waste belongs there, and despite other signs and a reliance on instructors to properly direct students, it collects pretty much everything. Even now, someone threw an empty box of gloves into it, and that empty box isn't hazardous at all, although now it must be considered that way. This particular receptacle fills with all sorts of trash, including things that are not allowed in lab like drink containers, candy bar wrappers, and other items. It has long been a bone of contention. I obtained permission to procure two bins with hinged lids that only open when you step on them and that are marked as biohazard and in red, just in case it's not obvious that these are not the normal trash cans.
However, I can only do so much to abrogate inattention. I will not assume the students are at fault. They do not know better. This may be their first lab. It is not however, or at least should not be, the first time their instructors are in lab. Again, despite signage and email reminders, it doesn't seem like some instructors interest themselves in proper policing of the lab, and so we end up with sharps containers full of paper products and soft waste full of things that were not hazardous before they were cast into the bins. It's really kind of annoying. Ordinarily, I would not have needed to worry about being poked, but that assumes that people will follow instructions and that those responsible for relaying instructions actually do. Since there was something sharp in that bag, I must conclude that someone either didn't know or didn't care.
Even more than the improper disposal is the liability. I sincerely hope I didn't pick up something from the prick to my finger today. If I did, I have documented it, and hopefully the state will assume liability, but heaven forbid if a student caught something. Instructors are responsible for student safety. In fact, two weeks ago, the new environmental health and safety supervisor gave us an hours long tirade on safety and mandated that I wear the proper protective equipment while in the lab room even if I'm giving them a quiz. To be in lab means to be exposed. He's kind of right, but it's unlikely that folks are exposed just for being there.
The world has proper tools for the right job. Unfortunately, we like to take shortcuts around the proper way or we find ourselves working with tools of people who don't seem to get the bigger picture. Also unfortunately, we are at the mercy of their attentiveness, and hopefully I did not pick up some disease. I am kind of nervous.
The lesson here is that when you find a better tool, replace the old one. It took less than ten minutes to get authorization to get the proper tool. It saves time, energy, effort, and consequences when you actually use something that was designed for the job. Also, you usually prevent problems. Although you may not be able to do away with them entirely, the closer you get to the asymptote, the better off people will be particularly when they are not expecting to be harmed.
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