VCP 421: Medicine Section

C.STANDARDS FOR WASTE AUTOCLAVING

• The autoclave should be dedicated for the purposes of disinfecting and treating bio-medical waste
• When operating a gravity flow autoclave, medical waste shall be subjected to:
• a temperature of not less than 121 C° and pressure of 15 pounds per square inch (psi) for an autoclave residence time of not less than 60 minutes; or
• a temperature of not less than 135 C° and a pressure of 31 psi for an autoclave residence time of not less than 45 minutes; or
• a temperature of not less than 149 C° and a pressure of 52 psi for an autoclave residence time of not less than 30 minutes.
• When operating a vacuum autoclave, medical waste shall be subjected to a minimum of one pre-vacuum pulse to purge the autoclave of all air. The waste shall be subjected to the following:
• a temperature of not less than 121 C° and pressure of 15 psi per an autoclave residence time of not less than 45 minutes; or
• a temperature of not less than 135 C° and a pressure of 31 psi for an autoclave residence time of not less than 30 minutes;
• Medical waste shall not be considered properly treated unless the time, temperature and pressure indicators indicate that the required time, temperature and pressure were reached during the autoclave process. If for any reasons, time temperature or pressure indicator indicates that the required temperature, pressure or residence time was not reached, the entire load of medical waste must be autoclaved again until the proper temperature, pressure and residence time were achieved.
• Recording of operational parameters
• Each autoclave shall have graphic or computer recording devices which will automatically and continuously monitor and record dates, time of day, load identification number and operating parameters throughout the entire length of the autoclave cycle.
• Validation test
• Spore testing: The autoclave should completely and consistently kill the approved biological indicator at the maximum design capacity of each autoclave unit. Biological indicator for autoclave shall be Bacillus stearothermophilus spores using vials or spore Strips; with at least 1X104 spores per millilitre. Under no circumstances will an autoclave have minimum operating parameters less than a residence time of 30 minutes, regardless of temperature and pressure, a temperature less than 121 C° or a pressure less than 15 psi.
• Routine test
• A chemical indicator strip/tape the changes colour when a certain temperature is reached can be used to verify that a specific temperature has been achieved. It may be necessary to use more than one strip over the waste package at different location to ensure that the inner content of the package has been adequately autoclaved