Independent Safety Services Ltd’s (ISSL) Technical Director, Dr. Anne Woolridge, has written an article in the monthly CIWM Journal on the international perspective on how to manage sharps waste. The article, published in the February 2018 journal, is written on behalf of ISWA, the International Solid Waste Association, of which Dr. Anne Woolridge is the chair of the Healthcare Waste Working Group.

The article offers a viewpoint of managing sharps waste in the UK and EU, including lesser known sources such as tattoo parlours, gyms and train stations, and the challenges in waste management with the increasing role of community healthcare and self-medicating patients. A summary of contrasting collection methods highlights the differences between, and within, the USA and the differences in parts of the world where infrastructure to incinerate sharps may not exist. Instead, the WHO was still providing advice to some nations in 2017 on how to correctly dig and manage sharps pits.

ISSL provide consultancy services on Dangerous Goods (air, road and sea) and waste management to numerous organisations throughout the United Kingdom. We offer a comprehensive solution to all dangerous goods transportation issues, including radioactives and infectious materials, as well as advising on correct waste management and assistance in complying with regulation.

If you would like to discuss the services that ISSL can provide, please contact info@issafe.co.uk or use the online contact form.