
County of San Diego and the State of California laws strictly regulate the proper packaging and disposal of biological waste from CSUSM. Safety, Health & Sustainability (SH&S) provides regulatory oversight for CSUSM in the management, packing and disposal of all hazardous waste streams, including biological waste. Depending on the disposition of the biological waste, procedures could be different for handling and disposal. Proper classification of biological waste is essential in order to properly manage it.
NOTE: Autoclaving of biological waste is not permitted at CSUSM. In addition, the PI or IST in charge of the laboratory needs to ensure the Biological Safety Cabinet (BSC) is certified annually.
Any instrument, object, or device capable of puncturing or cutting a biohazardous bag or skin.
Examples include but are not limited to:
Sharps container must adhere to the following specification: The container must be, labeled with a universal biohazardous symbol, be puncture resistant, rigid, sealable and ne able to be transported. All sharps containers must have a CSUSM generator label (Avery Label 5160) affixed to the outside of the container (contains name, address and phone number of the institution of the campus) Sharps containers should not exceed ¾ capacity. Full sharp containers should be placed in a biohazard freezer within your building. SH&S is responsible for retrieving biological waste and properly disposing of it.
If you anticipate sharp containers to be contaminated with chemicals or radiation, please call Safety, Health & Sustainability for proper instruction on waste management at 760-750-4502.
Containment of dry biological waste must:
Biohazardous Waste Includes:
Pathological contaminated (tissue) waste includes:
Liquid biohazardous Waste
All red biohazard bags and sharps containers must go directly from the biohazardous container to the freezer labeled with a biohazard symbol located in Science Hall 1, Room 102, Science Hall 2, Room 157A, or at the ELB Room 105. Red bags should be tied up and NOT left unattended outside the rigid waste container. Bags containing pathological waste must be taped with black tape at the top of the bag to designate the difference from pathological waste and biohazard waste. Sharps containers must be sealed and we prefer when the containers are duct tapped for added safety for our team. SH&S is responsible for retrieving biological waste and properly disposing of it.