Massachusetts Biohazard Waste Regulations

Highlighted Requirements

All medical or biological waste, except from home sharps users, must be treated on-site or transported off-site for treatment at a minimum once per calendar year.

Overview

Massachusetts’s medical waste disposal regulations are managed by the Massachusett’s Department of Public Health and the Massachusett’s Department of Environmental Protection. The complete detailed disposal requirements are outlined in Minimum Requirements for the Management of Medical or Biological Waste.  More information can be found of the medical waste section of the state website  .

OSHA Regulations

In addition to the state medical waste environmental regulations there are some Occupational Safety and Health Administration rules that apply to medical/infectious waste. Massachusetts is one of 26 states covered entirely by the federal OSHA program. OSHA rules (Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens Standards) impact various aspects of medical/infectious waste, including management of sharps, requirements for containers that hold or store medical/infectious waste, labeling of medical/infectious waste bags/containers, and employee training.