Hospital Waste Management and the Associated Hazards

Authors

  • Benameur Nehar Abou-Bekr Belkaïd University, Tlemcen, Algeria
  • Saoussen Benamara Abou-Bekr Belkaïd University, Tlemcen, Algeria
  • Nourelhouda Benhamed Abou-Bekr Belkaïd University, Tlemcen, Algeria

Abstract

Generating waste from hospitals poses danger for public health and the environment around the world such as nosocomial infection, Covid-19, toxic and hazardous waste. the air pollution caused by burning waste at insufficiently high temperatures risks for affecting communities by the release of carcinogens. By 2030, the United Nations through the UNSDGs program projects to substantially reduce the number of deaths and illnesses from hazardous chemicals and air, water and soil pollution and contamination in which hospital waste management plays an important role. Waste management in hospital around the world still a big challenge which needs a real effort for an efficient improvement. The aim of our study carried out over two months has targeted the general diagnostic of waste management in a local hospital at Tlemcen city (central laboratory, medical-surgical emergency and catering service). For that we have used a questionnaire that considers the infectious waste management and household waste, based on 162 questions extracted from a professional manual and focusing on Algerian regulation and international standards. After analyzing the causes of each nonconformity by cause-and-effect method and estimating their criticality, in fact, the obtained results have shown that the evaluation rate of the waste management in compliance with our questionnaire at the central laboratory is about 21%, at the medical-surgical emergencies about 16%, then for the catering service estimated to 29%. That led us to conclude that despite the deployed efforts by the hospital, the waste management according to the adopted managerial standards and regulation should be reviewed. Finally, we finished our study with improvement recommendations to resolve the observed noncompliances.

Keywords: hospital, waste management, hazards

Author Biographies

Benameur Nehar, Abou-Bekr Belkaïd University, Tlemcen, Algeria

Since 2010, lecturer and researcher in the field of the Environment and Ecology at Abou Bekr Belkaid University (Algeria). Currently the coordinator and the instructor of the virtual global environmental program in collaboration with the East Carolina University (USA).

Saoussen Benamara, Abou-Bekr Belkaïd University, Tlemcen, Algeria

A graduate student, she is preparing her Master degree in the specialty of Microbiology at the Faculty of Life and Natural Sciences, earth and universe at Abou Bekr Belkaid University (Algeria). She participated actively in the virtual global environmental program in 2021 hosted by East Carolina University.

Nourelhouda Benhamed, Abou-Bekr Belkaïd University, Tlemcen, Algeria

A graduate student at the Department of Foreign Languages. She is preparing her Master degree in Linguistics at Abou Bekr Belkaid University (Algeria). She participated actively in the virtual global environmental program in 2021 hosted by East Carolina University.

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Published

2022-12-13

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 2 (2022): Proceedings of the 7th Global Issues Conference

Section

Global Issues Conference Proceedings

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