THE CARE CERTIFICATE WORKBOOK STANDARD 13
11
Clinical waste includes contaminated
waste such as used dressings and
contaminated personal protective
equipment. This waste should be put
into bags which identify it as potentially
harmful (these are usually yellow or
orange) and stored securely until it can be
disposed of as set out in the procedures
for your workplace. Many local authorities
will arrange safe collection of clinical
waste from individual’s homes if it has
been assessed as clinical waste by a
community healthcare professional.
Some contaminated clinical waste
can pierce the skin and should
be stored in sharps bins rather
than bags, to protect workers from
injuries. You must follow
the agreed ways of working. If
supporting a person in their own
home, be familiar with any risk
assessment for disposing of sharps
there. Sharps should normally be
returned, in an approved sharps
box, to the place they were
prescribed.
Linen which has been contaminated with body
fluids should ideally be washed immediately if
you are supporting a person to live in their own
home. In the health and social care workplace it
should be placed in identifiable bags and placed
in a hot wash, separate from other linen.
There will be agreed ways of working, which
may vary from person to person, for washing
clothing.
Waste is considered
hazardous if it is potentially
harmful to humans or the
environment. Disposal must
be done in a way that avoids
any danger or harm. Your
employer will have procedures
in place for the storage and
disposal of hazardous waste.
Fire safety
Fires are a hazard in any workplace and can lead to injury or death.
Basic fire prevention measures include:
No smoking or naked flames within the building.
Do not have fire doors propped open as this will
increase the speed at which a fire spreads in a building.
Do not allow waste to accumulate which could provide
fuel to a fire.
Check escape routes are not blocked and keep them
clear of furniture or boxes.
Check that appliances and plugs are turned off to help
prevent an electrical fire from starting.
If you are supporting someone in their own home these measures may not apply. You
can support individuals to get advice to make their homes safer but you must respect the
choices that they make; for example they may choose to smoke or not to have smoke
alarms. (See also Care Certificate standards 3 and 9 on supporting independence and
managing risk.)