Medical Waste Labeling Mistakes Lead to $28,000 Fine for SC Hospital
A hospital group that operates facilities across South Carolina has been ordered to pay $28,000 to resolve allegations it unknowingly violated US EPA and State DHEC environmental rules regarding identification and storage of hazardous waste.
A spokesperson says the hospital hired a third-party service provider to properly dispose of the hazardous medical waste. The company unfortunately failed to properly identify hazardous wastes and, as a result, labeled many non-hazardous wastes as hazardous.
Enough waste was mislabeled to impact the hospital’s generator status–a measure of how much hazardous waste a facility generates each month. Facilities that manage more waste face stricter requirements for emergency planning, reporting, providing RCRA hazardous waste training for personnel, and more.
The hospital, having never before generated so much hazardous waste, was left in a lurch—because it was typically excluded from the more burdensome RCRA hazardous waste requirements due to its small monthly waste volume, it was not in compliance with the more stringent rules that apply to large quantity generators.
The hospital group has since switched waste handlers. The State has more.
US DOT requires hazmat training once every 3 years for all “hazmat employees.” Learn more at Lion.com/Hazmat
A spokesperson says the hospital hired a third-party service provider to properly dispose of the hazardous medical waste. The company unfortunately failed to properly identify hazardous wastes and, as a result, labeled many non-hazardous wastes as hazardous.
Enough waste was mislabeled to impact the hospital’s generator status–a measure of how much hazardous waste a facility generates each month. Facilities that manage more waste face stricter requirements for emergency planning, reporting, providing RCRA hazardous waste training for personnel, and more.
The hospital, having never before generated so much hazardous waste, was left in a lurch—because it was typically excluded from the more burdensome RCRA hazardous waste requirements due to its small monthly waste volume, it was not in compliance with the more stringent rules that apply to large quantity generators.
The hospital group has since switched waste handlers. The State has more.
US DOT requires hazmat training once every 3 years for all “hazmat employees.” Learn more at Lion.com/Hazmat
Tags: and, fines, hazardous waste, penalties, RCRA
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