Arkansas Administrative Code

20 CAR § 53-302. Identification of medical waste. (a)(1) A person who generates a medical waste shall determine if that waste is a medical waste as defined in 20 CAR § 53-102(15). (2) Any wastes that contain medical waste mixed with general solid waste shall be managed as medical…

20 CAR § 53-303. Segregation of medical waste. (a) Medical waste must be segregated from other regular waste at the point of its generation in the producing facility. (b)(1) Segregation of medical waste must be made into containers in compliance with the United States Occupationa…

20 CAR § 53-304. Packaging and labeling of medical waste. (a)(1) Medical waste, except for sharps capable of cutting or puncturing, shall be contained for reprocessing at the site of generation in collection containers impervious to moisture, which are leak resistant and have a s…

20 CAR § 53-305. Storage. (a)(1) Medical waste packaged in disposable containers as described in 20 CAR § 53-304(a) and (b) shall be placed in: (A) Disposable or reusable: (i) Pails; (ii) Cartons; (iii) Drums; or (iv) Dumpsters; or (B) Portable bins. (2) Disposable and reusable s…

20 CAR § 53-306. Transport. (a)(1) Generators of medical waste may transport their own waste to an off-site permitted treatment or disposal facility, or satellite facility in a fully enclosed container designed to prevent leakage of fluids as outlined in 20 CAR § 53-305(a), witho…

20 CAR § 53-307. Medical waste treatment. (a) Treatment of medical waste shall be by one (1) of the following. (b) Incineration. (1) Burning of medical waste in conformance with the standards prescribed by the Division of Environmental Quality or the United States Environmental P…

20 CAR § 53-308. Quality control. (a)(1) Quality control of the treatment process must be performed at least once a month or after every forty (40) hours of operation, whichever comes later, using the appropriate physical, chemical, and biological monitors (thermochemical indicat…

20 CAR § 53-309. Log. (a) For each medical waste treatment unit listed in 20 CAR § 53-307, a log shall be maintained which contains, at a minimum, the following information for each use: (1) Date; (2) Time; (3) Operator; (4) Type and approximate amount (by weight in pounds) of me…

20 CAR § 53-310. Filter requirement for equipment. (a) Equipment such as shredders, choppers, etc., that have the potential to produce aerosols must be fully contained under negative air pressure and exhausted through a HEPA filter. (b) Small medical waste treatment devices may b…

20 CAR § 53-311. Disposal of medical waste. Disposal of untreated medical waste shall be by one (1) of the following: (1) Discharged from the healthcare-related facility into a POTW; (2) Interment. The disposition of pathological waste by burial or cremation according to standard…

20 CAR § 53-312. Inclusion of medical waste with normal, solid waste. If the generator of medical waste has treated the waste by an approved method and it is packaged and labeled as specified in 20 CAR § 53-304, then the waste may be included in the facility's normal solid waste …

20 CAR § 53-313. Incineration of medical waste. (a) A healthcare-related facility with a Division of Environmental Quality-permitted incinerator or use of an approved technology as outlined in 20 CAR § 53-304 may accept medical waste for treatment/disposal from physicians and sur…

20 CAR § 53-314. Treated medical waste rendered unrecognizable. Medical waste that has been treated by an approved method and determined by the Department of Health as rendered unrecognizable is not required to have special packaging or labeling when transported or disposed.…

20 CAR § 53-315. Release of medical waste. (a) All incidents involving the release of medical waste to the environment or other incidents that threaten the public health involving medical waste shall be reported verbally as soon as possible but within twelve (12) hours to the Dep…

20 CAR § 53-401. Permit. (a) No person in Arkansas may transport commercial medical waste for a generator, other than the generator themselves, without first obtaining a commercial medical waste transportation permit from the Department of Health. (b) The permit is required for a…

20 CAR § 53-402. Plans and procedures for transporting medical waste. (a) Commercial medical waste transporters shall have a written operating plan/procedure for handling and transport of commercial medical waste. (b) The plan/procedure shall include the following: (1) A method o…

20 CAR § 53-403. Vehicle construction. Each truck, trailer, semitrailer, vacuum tank, cargo tank, or container used for transporting commercial medical waste shall be designed and constructed and its contents so limited, that under conditions incident to transportation, there sha…

20 CAR § 53-404. Transporting medical waste with nonmedical waste. Commercial medical waste may not be transported with other types of waste or nonwaste materials (with the exception of medical waste equipment and supplies), and the cargo body or compartment shall be separated by…

20 CAR § 53-405. Vehicle compartments. All vehicle/trailer compartments in which commercial medical waste is stored for transport shall remain locked at all times except when loading and unloading.

20 CAR § 53-406. Safety equipment for vehicles. All vehicles which transport commercial medical waste shall carry, at a minimum, the following safety equipment: (1) Spill containment and clean-up kits designed for infectious waste and include at a minimum: (A) Absorbent material;…

20 CAR § 53-407. Vehicle markings. All vehicles transporting commercial medical waste shall be marked with letters or symbols four inches (4”) tall on a contrasting color background as "MEDICAL WASTE", "INFECTIOUS SUBSTANCE", "BIOMEDICAL WASTE", or the universal biohazard symbol …

20 CAR § 53-408. Vehicle insurance. (a) All vehicles that transport commercial medical waste shall be covered by insurance having a public liability limit of at least one million dollars ($1,000,000). (b) Companies providing insurance coverage must have received authority from th…

20 CAR § 53-409. Delivery of waste to permitted facilities. Commercial medical waste transporters shall deliver commercial medical waste for storage, treatment, and/or disposal only to a facility that is: (1) Permitted by the Department of Health as a medical waste storage, treat…

20 CAR § 53-410. Weight. (a) A fee of five dollars ($5.00) a ton is required for all commercial medical waste that originates or terminates in Arkansas. (b) Methods of determining the weight of commercial medical waste and associated fees are as follows: (1) Weight determination.…

20 CAR § 53-411. Log. (a) Commercial medical waste transporters shall keep a log of their daily pick-up from generators of commercial medical waste. (b) The log must show, at a minimum, the: (1) Name and address of the generator; (2) Date; (3) Quantity (weight (pounds) or number …

20 CAR § 53-412. Vehicle inspections. Commercial medical waste transportation vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of greater than ten thousand pounds (10,000 lbs.) must pass an annual federal motor carrier inspection.

20 CAR § 53-413. Training. (a) All personnel involved in the transport and handling of commercial medical waste shall be properly trained in the identification, handling, and transportation of medical waste for their own protection and others. (b) The commercial medical waste tra…

20 CAR § 53-414. Accidental release of medical waste. (a) All incidents involving the release of medical waste to the environment or other incidents involving medical waste shall be reported verbally as soon as possible, but within twelve (12) hours to the Department of Health wi…

20 CAR § 53-415. Annual report. (a) Commercial medical waste transporters shall submit to the Department of Health an annual summary report of their activities from January 1 to December 31 of each year. (b) The report shall be submitted no later than March 1 of the year followin…

20 CAR § 53-416. Transfer of waste between vehicles. (a) Commercial medical waste shall not be transferred between vehicles unless the transfer occurs at a generator's facility or on the premises of transporter's facility or a permitted treatment, storage, or disposal facility ex…

20 CAR § 53-417. Storage. (a) Commercial medical waste shall not be stored on the permitted medical waste transporter's property or at their transfer facility for longer than ten (10) days without having a storage facility permit as outlined in 20 CAR § 53-501 et seq., unless aut…

20 CAR § 53-418. Commercial regulated medical waste transportation permits. (a) Commercial regulated medical waste transportation permits are issued for a period of one (1) year. (b) Permits are nontransferable.

20 CAR § 53-419. Registration changes. Commercial medical waste transporters shall notify the Department of Health, by letter, within fifteen (15) days of any changes to their registration if: (1) The office or place of business is moved and/or the mailing address changes; (2) Th…

20 CAR § 53-420. Revocation or denial of permits. Revocation or denials of permit procedures are as follows: (1) If the commercial transporter has a history of noncompliance with any law or regulation of this state or any other jurisdictions, particularly those regulations pertai…

20 CAR § 53-421. Bonding. (a) As outlined in 20 CAR § 53-420, bonding may be required by the Department of Health. (b) The permittee will be notified if bonding is required. (c) Bonding requirements are as follows: (1)(A) A nonaccumulating surety bond in the amount of one hundred…

20 CAR § 53-422. Commercial medical waste transportation permit process. To obtain a commercial medical waste transportation permit, the commercial transporter shall submit at least forty-five (45) days before the anticipation of the permit issue date and thirty (30) days before …

20 CAR § 53-501. Permits. (a)(1) All commercial medical waste treatment, storage, and/or disposal (TSD) facilities and commercial mobile treatment/disposal systems shall obtain a permit before construction or modification begins. (2) Mobile systems may be already constructed. (b)…

20 CAR § 53-502. Prohibitions on facility location. Pursuant to Arkansas Code § 20-32-109, a proposed nonincinerator medical waste treatment, storage, and/or disposal (TSD) facility will not be issued a permit for the construction or operation of a facility in which any of the fo…

20 CAR § 53-503. Additional application requirements. At least thirty (30) days prior to submitting a permit application for a TSD facility, the applicant shall have completed the following: (1)(A) A written notification by certified mail to each property owner or resident of any…

20 CAR § 53-504. Proposed treatment techniques. (a) All proposed treatment techniques, with the exception of incineration, shall: (1) Be approved by the Department of Health; and (2) Meet the following levels of microbial inactivation: (A) Inactivation of representative samples o…

20 CAR § 53-505. Operating license required. (a) No person may operate a commercial medical waste incineration or nonincineration treatment, storage, and/or disposal facility or a mobile system, not to include a POTW, without first obtaining an operating license from the Departme…

20 CAR § 53-506. Accepting medical waste. (a) Commercial medical waste treatment, storage, and/or disposal (TSD) facilities can only accept medical waste from permitted commercial medical waste transporters or primary generators. (b) Mobile treatment systems can only accept medic…

20 CAR § 53-507. Commercial mobile treatment locations. Commercial mobile treatment systems shall treat commercial medical waste only on the premises of the generation facility or a designated location as approved by the Department of Health.

20 CAR § 53-508. Storage facility temperature. Permitted storage facilities shall maintain a storage temperature of forty-five degrees Fahrenheit (45°F) or less for medical waste held for more than seventy-two (72) hours and shall also meet the requirements of 20 CAR § 53-305(a) …

20 CAR § 53-509. Facility signage. (a) Treatment, storage, and/or disposal (TSD) facilities must prevent the unknowing entry, and minimize the possibility of the unauthorized entry of persons into the active portion of the facility by either an artificial or natural barrier (e.g.…

20 CAR § 53-510. Weight. (a) A fee of five dollars ($5.00) a ton is required for all commercial untreated medical waste that is treated or disposed of in Arkansas. (b) Methods of determining the weight of commercial medical waste and associated fees are as follows: (1) Weight det…

20 CAR § 53-511. Logs and tracking papers. (a) TSD facilities shall keep a log of their daily receipts from generators and commercial transporters of medical waste. (b) The log shall show, at a minimum, the: (1) Name and address of the permitted transporter or generator; (2) Tran…

20 CAR § 53-512. Training. (a) All personnel involved in the management, storage, and treatment/disposal of commercial medical waste shall be properly trained in the identification, handling, and safety requirements of medical waste for their own protection and others. (b) The co…

20 CAR § 53-513. Equipment filter requirement. Equipment such as shredders, choppers, etc., that have the potential to produce aerosols must be fully contained under negative air pressure and exhausted through a HEPA filter.

20 CAR § 53-514. Annual report. (a) Commercial medical waste treatment, storage, and/or disposal (TSD) facilities and commercial mobile treatment systems shall submit to the Department of Health an annual summary report of their activities from January 1 to December 31 of each ye…