The management of potentially infectious materials is a serious safety concern in healthcare, laboratory, and research settings. Standardized identification methods are necessary to protect workers, the public, and the environment from biological hazards. Specific colors and symbols on waste containers provide immediate visual cues for proper handling, segregation, and disposal. This system of universal identification is fundamental to biohazard management.
What Qualifies as Biohazardous Waste
Biohazardous waste, also known as regulated medical waste, includes any material that has the potential to transmit infectious agents to humans or animals. This classification ensures that these materials receive specialized treatment and disposal to minimize public health risks. The waste categories are defined by their content, not their physical form alone.
Biohazardous waste includes several major categories:
- Human blood and blood products, such as used gauze or dressings saturated with liquid or semi-liquid blood.
- Pathological waste, including human tissues, organs, and body parts removed during surgery or autopsy.
- Microbiological waste, which includes cultures, stocks of infectious agents, and materials contaminated by them (e.g., Petri dishes and culture tubes).
- Sharps waste, covering any device that can puncture the skin, including needles, scalpel blades, and contaminated broken glass.
The Mandatory Color and Universal Symbol
The color used to mark biohazardous waste is Red or Orange-Red, a standard established for immediate and universal recognition. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) mandates this color coding through its Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030). This regulation requires that containers of regulated waste be labeled or color-coded to alert personnel to the presence of blood or other potentially infectious materials.
The standard specifies that a warning label must display the universal biohazard symbol—a three-crescent trefoil design internationally recognized for biological hazards—in a contrasting color on a fluorescent orange or orange-red background. The use of the color red on the container itself serves as an acceptable substitute for the actual label in many cases, provided the container is readily identifiable. This combination of vivid color and distinct symbol ensures the waste is handled with appropriate precautions to prevent exposure.
Segregation and Disposal Container Types
The color standard is applied to the physical containers used for waste collection and segregation. Non-sharp biohazardous waste, such as contaminated personal protective equipment (PPE), tubing, and laboratory plastics, is collected in red bags. These bags are leak-proof and are often placed inside secondary, hard-sided containers to prevent spills and tears during movement.
Sharps waste requires a different type of container due to the puncture risk involved. Needles, syringes, and scalpels must be discarded into specialized sharps containers, which are rigid, puncture-resistant, and typically red or sometimes yellow. These containers have a secure lid design that allows items to be dropped in but prevents accidental retrieval. All containers must prominently feature the red color or the biohazard symbol for recognition as regulated medical waste.