How To Safely Handle Bloody Bandages

Everyone has to use a bandage once in a while. For many, the most they’ll need is a small injury bandage to cover something minor like a paper cut. In the case of serious injury, you would need larger, or perhaps more, bandages. These bandages can easily get covered in blood and can pose a serious health hazard that requires proper handling.

  Close-up of male doctor bandaging a hand  

Handling the Bloody Bandages

It’s important to dispose of these bandages in a safe manner. Limiting direct contact with them lowers the chances that you will be exposed to anything harmful. You should have the following items on hand to ensure you can handle and dispose of them safely:

  • Medical gloves
  • Clamps
  • Medical waste container

Simply tossing these bandages into the trash poses a bio-hazard risk. Having a proper container to place them into will prevent contamination and health risks, allowing the bandages to be disposed of safely. Medical containers are designed to safely store medical waste without the risk of exposure. Durable, plastic containers exist to ensure the container won’t break or be pierced by any sharps.

The material in the medical waste containers is taken away to a medical waste disposal facility to destroy the blood and other bodily fluids to ensure that no chance of contamination can occur.

   

For proper medical waste disposal, contact AMS MedWaste, and our experts will help you with the safe handling of medical waste.