Industry-specific ZeoMed infectious waste cleanup systems respond to expanding staff protection needs

Industry-specific infectious waste cleanup systems are being introduced nationally by Enware Australia help to employers and owners and operators of public and private facilities protect staff and comply with expanding health and environmental regulations.

The ZeoMed system to is designed to provide an hygienic handling and disposal system for spills commonly encountered in workplace, public and recreational areas, including blood, vomit and body fluids that pose health hazards including HIV and Hepatitis.

ZeoMed kits – which can be hung next to fire extinguishers for quick recognition and use – include face masks, medical gloves, apron, absorbent material, scoop, scraper, bright yellow waste bags and antiseptic cleanup materials.

“It is now a legal requirement for all employers to have controls in place to protect staff from potential infection from body spills. The legal requirements extend across a broad range of industry, commerce and public institutions, ranging from hospitality and entertainment venues, to retail, industrial, transport and medical and laboratory facilities” says Enware ZeoMed Manager Mr Scott Whittaker.

The requirements apply equally to operators of hospitality venues as to health care facilities; to factories as to retail outlets; clubs to schools and transport terminals; mining and construction sites as to facilities where food, beverages and primary products are prepared and processed. Its scope is all-encompassing and relates both to workers and non-workers on-site.

Available with contents adapted to the needs of particular industries and facilities, ZeoMed kits provide a complete system to protect employees, contain the spill, and absorb odour and manage the disposal of the spill correctly.

Industry-specific kits include those adapted to the needs of particular areas of industry, commerce, hospitality and laboratory and medical science, including health care industry kits with a cytotoxic emphasis, designed to protect staff dealing with the large number of people who undergo chemotherapy. Industrial kits include those developed to help protect against acid spills in electrical and process applications.

Components of the system have been widely by major organisations including Accor hotels; Australian Hotels Association; Exide electrical and industrial products; Star City Casino; National Maritime Museum; Queensland Rail; Sydney Aquarium; Sydney Olympic Park Authority; NSW Parliament; Sydney Opera House; Australian Museum; TABCorp; Superdome as well as major retail, travel, industry and service groups.

ZeoMed spill and sharps kits have been developed in consultation with Work cover to comply with each state’s Code of Practice and legal requirements. The kits are 100 per cent non-toxic, have unlimited shelf life and are EPA approved. ZeoMed Spill Management Systems and kits provide 100 per cent compliance to meet 2005 WorkCover Legal Requirements to protect employees from exposure to Hepatitis and HIV in the workplace.

“In public and private facilities all over Australia every day there are incidents health hazards posed by people vomiting, bleeding and carrying diseases such as HIV and hepatitis that may be contained in body fluids. Professional precautions are now becoming a matter of law to protect individuals, staff and customers,” said Mr Whittaker.

The Enware ZeoMed kits include 100 per cent natural, non-toxic, non-flammable, environmentally safe contents designed to clean and absorb waste while helping to control odour.

Waste products gathered using the system are sealed into the bags using a built-in tie to contain them until collected in accordance with Government regulations for different categories of substance.

Enware Australia is a leading manufacturer and distributor of commercial and industrial safety, water conservation, specialist tapware, hygiene protection and hazardous goods containment equipment. The company has more than 60 years experience as a precision manufacturer of water technology products, including specialist tapware, which are sold around Australia and exported to Asia. An Australian-owned company, Enware is accredited to the stringent ISO 9001 quality management system for design, development, production, installation and servicing.

Now the National Occupational Health and Safety Commission’s Code of Practice for the prevention of blood-borne virus infection in the workplace is a legal requirement, employers must have controls in place that meets or exceeds its guidelines.

The NOHSC policy [NOHSC 2010 (2003)] is particularly focused on prevention of hepatitis infection as well as HIV (blood-borne) viruses in workplaces – all workplaces. It recognises that exposure to blood-borne pathogens (viruses, bacteria etc) poses a serious risk in many workplaces.
In broad outline, WorkCover now requires all employers to have controls in place for the handling of body fluid spills such as vomit, blood, faeces, urine etc.

To help managers and safety officers understand their obligations, The National Safety Council of Australia is running seminars specifically on this subject. Supplementary practical guidance on many of the subjects covered is contained in a training CD prepared by a leader in the field, ZeoMed, an infectious waste cleanup system being introduced nationally by Enware Australia. This CD, available upon request, is designed to help employers and owners of buildings to comply and to train employees as to the use of these systems. The kits have been developed in consultation with WorkCover and  exceed the minimum legal requirements of the policy.

While extremely useful in its own right, the CD information forms only part of the broader picture of information employers must learn about the Code of Practice for the control of work-related exposure to hepatitis and HIV (blood-borne viruses).

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