Guidelines - HTM 07-01

Sharpsafe SMS and Health Technical Memorandum 07-01 Safe Management of Healthcare Waste

Sharpsafe SMS adopts the key recommendations of the HTM 07-01 Safe Management of Healthcare Waste Guidelines and incorporates near patient sharps disposal (NPSD) in accordance with chapter 9.6 of ‘The Blue Book’, The management of health, safety and welfare issues for NHS staff, 2005. Adoption of this guidance will assist NHS Trusts demonstrate conformity with their duties under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992.

HTM 07-01

  • Replaces Health Services Advisory Committee’s (1999) guidance document ‘Safe Disposal of Clinical Waste’
  • Guidance produced to provide a framework for best practice waste management to help healthcare providers and other producers to meet legislative requirements
  • Guidance focuses on the management of medicinal and infectious waste

Key Recommendations of HTM 07-01

  • A new methodology for identifying and classifying infectious and medicinal waste that complies with health and safety, transport and waste regulations. (The new methodology is described as the Unified Approach)
  • A revised colour-coded best practice waste segregation and packaging system
  • An offensive/hygiene waste stream to describe waste that is non-infectious (human hygiene and sanpro waste)
  • The inclusion of European Waste Codes (EWC) on waste documentation (consignment notes) for healthcare waste in-transit on public roads.

Download HTM-07-01