New Mexico Administrative Code
Title 20 - ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
Chapter 9 - SOLID WASTE
Part 8 - SPECIAL WASTE REQUIREMENTS
Section 20.9.8.13 - INFECTIOUS WASTE

Universal Citation: 20 NM Admin Code 20.9.8.13

Current through Register Vol. 35, No. 18, September 24, 2024

A. This section applies:

(1) without regard to the quantity of infectious waste generated, to any generator of infectious waste including, but not limited to:
(a) general acute care hospitals;

(b) skilled nursing facility or convalescent hospitals;

(c) intermediate care facilities;

(d) in-patient care facilities for the developmentally disabled;

(e) dialysis clinics;

(f) free clinics;

(g) community clinics;

(h) employee clinics;

(i) health maintenance organizations;

(j) home health agencies;

(k) surgical clinics;

(l) urgent care clinics;

(m) acute psychiatric hospitals;

(n) blood/plasma centers;

(o) laboratories;

(p) medical buildings;

(q) physicians offices;

(r) veterinarians;

(s) dental offices;

(t) acupuncturists;

(u) funeral homes;

(v) eye clinics; and

(w) tattoo parlors and body-piercing establishments; and

(2) to all infectious waste storage areas, processing, transformation, transfer and disposal facilities, other than sewage treatment systems that provide secondary treatment of waste.

B. All material that has been rendered non-infectious is not subject to the handling requirements of this section, provided:

(1) if it is an otherwise regulated, hazardous, special, or radioactive waste, it shall be handled according to regulations applicable to that type of waste;

(2) any person that processes or transforms infectious waste shall certify in writing on at least an annual basis, or upon any change that could affect the efficacy of the treatment that the waste has been rendered non-infectious by sterilization, incineration or another method approved by the secretary; a certification that the waste has been rendered non-infectious shall be provided to the generator, transporter, and disposal facility; the generator, processing or transformation facility, and disposal facility shall maintain copies of certifications for a period of three years and the records shall be made available to the department upon request; and

(3) the operator of the disposal facility applies daily cover as required in 20.9.5.9 NMAC prior to any compaction of the sharps.

C. The following storage and containment requirements apply to all infectious waste.

(1) Containment shall be in a manner and location which affords protection from animal intrusion, does not provide a breeding place or a food source for insects and rodents, and minimizes exposure to the public.

(2) Infectious waste shall be segregated by separate containment from other waste at the point of origin.

(3) Except for sharps, infectious waste shall be contained in plastic bags inside rigid containers. The bags shall meet the testing requirements specified by 40 CFR 173.197. All bags used for containment purposes shall be red or orange and clearly identified as specified in 29 CFR 1910.145(f). The bags shall be securely tied to prevent leakage or expulsion of solid or liquid wastes during storage, handling or transport.

(4) Sharps shall be contained for storage, transportation, transfer, processing, transformation, and disposal in leak-proof, rigid, puncture-resistant containers which are manufactured for the purpose of sharps containment and are taped closed or tightly lidded to preclude loss of contents.

(5) Rigid containers shall be labeled "biomedical waste", or otherwise conspicuously labeled as holding infectious waste, or placed in disposable bags used for other infectious waste. Rigid containers shall meet or exceed the requirements of 49 CFR 173.197 including that the containers be:
(a) rigid;

(b) leak resistant;

(c) impervious to moisture;

(d) of sufficient strength to prevent tearing or bursting under normal conditions of use;

(e) sealed to prevent leakage during transport; and

(f) puncture resistant for sharps and sharps with residual fluids.

(6) If other waste is placed in the same container as regulated infectious waste, then the generator shall package, label and mark the container and its entire contents as infectious waste.

(7) Rigid infectious waste containers may be reused for infectious or non-infectious waste if they are thoroughly washed and decontaminated each time they are emptied or the surfaces of the containers have been completely protected from contamination by disposable, unpunctured or undamaged liners, bags, or other devices that are removed with the infectious waste, and the surface of the containers have not been damaged or punctured.

(8) Storage and containment areas shall protect infectious waste from the elements, be ventilated to the outdoors (unless refrigerated), provide refrigeration as necessary, be only accessible to authorized persons, and be marked with prominent warning signs on, or adjacent to, the exterior doors or gates. The warning signs shall be easily read during daylight from a distance of 25 feet.

(9) Generators of infectious waste, shall place sufficient absorbent material inside the rigid container or liner of the rigid container sufficient to absorb the entire amount of liquid present in the event of an unintentional release of contents, as specified in 49 CFR 173.197.

(10) Compactors, grinders or similar devices shall not be used to reduce the volume of infectious waste before the waste has been rendered non-infectious unless prior approval has been obtained from the department.

D. All generators of infectious waste shall dispose of the infectious waste at a facility permitted to process, store or dispose of infectious waste.

E. All infectious waste generation, processing, transformation, transfer, storage and disposal facilities subject to this section shall comply with the following operational requirements.

(1) Every person who generates, transports, stores, processes, or disposes of infectious waste shall prepare and maintain on file a management plan for the waste that identifies the type of waste the person generates or handles, the segregation, packaging, labeling, collection, storage, method of storage, and transportation procedures to be implemented, the processing, transformation or disposal methods that will be used, the transporter and disposal facility that will be used, and the person responsible for the management of the infectious waste.

(2) All infectious waste management facilities may only accept infectious waste that is accompanied by a manifest that contains the information required by 20.9.8.19 NMAC.

(3) Report to the secretary any delivery of unauthorized waste, contamination of any person, or other emergencies immediately upon recognition.

(4) Human fetal remains, as defined by the state medical investigator, when measured to be 500 grams or greater, shall be disposed by incineration or interment.

(5) Infectious waste consisting of recognizable human anatomical remains shall be disposed by incineration or interment, unless such remains are subject to different treatment or disposal standards due to contamination by a hazardous or radioactive substance. Recognizable human anatomical remains may be released to the patient, proper governmental authority, or designated family member for interment or incineration, as long as all forensic needs of the facility have been met and the release is not in violation of any other law.

F. Processing, transformation and disposal of infectious waste shall be by one of the following methods:

(1) incineration in a controlled air multi-chambered incinerator which provides complete combustion of the waste to carbonized or mineralized ash:
(a) ash from the incinerator shall be sampled in accordance with Subsection B of 20.9.8.11 NMAC;

(b) the sample shall be analyzed by the U.S. EPA test method 1311: toxic characteristics leaching procedure (TCLP) to determine if it is a hazardous waste; if hazardous, it shall be managed by applicable state regulations;

(c) the retention times and temperatures for each chamber shall be continuously measured and recorded, or other equivalent tests approved by the department to determine if it is still infectious shall be performed; if infectious, it shall be reincinerated in accordance with this section; and

(d) charge rates shall be maintained and recorded;

(2) sterilization by heating in a steam sterilizer so as to render the waste non-infectious:
(a) the operator shall have available and shall certify in writing that she or he understands written operating procedures for each steam sterilizer including time, temperature, pressure, type of waste, type of container(s), closure on container(s), pattern of loading, water content, and maximum load quantity;

(b) infectious waste shall be subjected to sufficient temperature, pressure and time to kill Geobacillus stearothermophilus spores or induce a complete color change in an approved steam sterilization integrator when either indicator is located in the center of the waste load being decontaminated;

(c) unless a steam sterilizer is equipped to continuously monitor and generate a printed paper record of time, temperature and pressure during the entire length of each sterilization cycle, a chemical indicator shall be attached to each package of infectious waste that will visually demonstrate at the end of the autoclave cycle that each package was exposed to a temperature of at least 250 degrees fahrenheit or 121 degrees celsius in the presence of steam under pressure was reached during the process; the original printed record generated by the autoclave must be maintained for three years;

(d) each sterilization unit shall be evaluated for effectiveness with spores of Geobacillus stearothermophilus or approved steam sterilization integrator at least once each 40 hours of operation; and

(e) a written log shall be maintained for each sterilization unit which contains:
(i) date, time and load number for each load;

(ii) amount per load;

(iii) duration of the cycle; and

(iv) the operator's name;

(3) discharge to a sewage treatment system that provides secondary treatment of waste, if the waste is liquid or semi-solid and approved in writing by the operator of the sewage treatment system; or

(4) other products or methods may be approved by order of the secretary which provide:
(a) a 6Log10 reduction in mycobacteria of Mycobacterium phlei or Mycobacterium bovis (BCG) or if specifically approved, other Mycobacterium species;

(b) a 4Log10 reduction in bacterial spores of Geobacillus stearothermophilus, Bacillus atrophaeus or if specifically approved, other species of spore-forming bacterium; and

(c) verification that the species used in Subparagraphs (a) and (b) of Paragraph (4) of this subsection are the species indicated and that the strain used is appropriate for the proposed method.

G. The following requirements and condition shall apply to any person seeking approval from the secretary for a treatment method under Paragraph (4) of Subsection F of this section:

(1) the person shall provide any information requested by the secretary within the time period specified by the secretary;

(2) the request for approval shall be approved, approved with terms and conditions, or denied by the secretary;

(3) within 45 days from the end of each calendar year, manufacturers of on-site treatment or processing products approved by the secretary shall submit an annual report to the department that includes:
(i) current manufacturer's company name, contact names, addresses, and telephone numbers;

(ii) a current list of product consumers or clients in New Mexico identified as generators of infectious waste under Subsection A of 20.9.8.13 NMAC, with contact names, addresses, and telephone numbers;

(iii) proof of current registration with the U.S. EPA, if required under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act;

(iv) a current material safety data sheet for any materials used in the treatment method;

(v) a current copy of the manufacturer's instructions as printed on the product and a copy of the most recent operator's manual, if not previously submitted; and

(vi) proof of current registration with the New Mexico department of agriculture, if required under the New Mexico Pesticide Control Act;

(4) the secretary may withdraw the approval of an on-site processing product if the product fails to properly treat infectious waste as claimed, or if the on-site processing product or method is altered in any manner; to withdraw the approval, the secretary shall issue an order withdrawing the approval; the interested person may appeal the secretary's order by filing a request for hearing within 30 days of the date of the secretary's order; the procedures set forth in Adjudicatory Procedures - Environment Department, 20.1.5 NMAC shall apply to the appeal.

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