Assessment of biomedical waste management practices in a tertiary care teaching hospital in Ludhiana

Biomedical waste (BMW) is waste generated during diagnosis, treatment or immunization of human beings or animals, or in research activities pertaining thereto, or in the production and testing of biologicals, and is contaminated with human fluids.1 Though 75-80% of wastes generated from hospitals are non-infectious, 20-25% is hazardous.2 It is a potential health hazard to health workers, public, flora and fauna of the area.3 The Government of India has given specifications for hospital waste management under the Environment (Protection) Act Biomedical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 1998.4 The present study was undertaken to assess the knowledge and practices regarding BMW management amongst staff of a large tertiary care teaching hospital in Ludhiana, with about 700 beds which, according to its Chief Maintenance Officer, generates about 70 kg biomedical waste per day.