OPIM: What It Stands For, Examples and Disposal Guidelines
OPIM stands for Other Potentially Infectious Materials and is a classification defined by OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogen Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030) that includes human body fluids and other substances beyond blood that may transmit infectious disease. Healthcare facilities are required to handle, segregate, and dispose of OPIM with the same precautions as blood to protect workers from exposure to bloodborne pathogens.
Daniels Health provides safe, compliant OPIM disposal for healthcare facilities across the U.S., helping protect your staff, meet OSHA requirements, and eliminate the risks of improper handling.
Continue reading, or click below to learn: 1 / What Kind of Materials or Substances Can Be Defined as OPIM?
2 / State and OSHA Definitions for OPIM
3 / OSHA Provision for OPIM Handling and Disposal
4 / OPIM Disposal Guidelines for Healthcare Facilities
5 / How Daniels Health Provides OPIM Disposal Solutions
6 /Frequently Asked Questions About OPIM
What Kind of Materials or Substances Can Be Defined as OPIM?
- Cerebrospinal fluid (the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord)
- Synovial fluid (joint fluid)
- Pleural fluid (the fluid surrounding the lungs)
- Pericardial fluid (the fluid surrounding the heart)
- Semen
- Vaginal secretions
- Vomit
- Peritoneal fluid (abdominal cavity fluid)
- Amniotic fluid (surrounds a fetus during pregnancy)
- Any bodily fluid that is visibly contaminated with blood
- Any bodily fluid that’s difficult or even impossible to identify between different body fluids
Tip: Place any contaminated or potentially contaminated sharp in an appropriate sharps container that is puncture-resistant, leak-proof, closable (doesn’t open if dropped), and properly labeled and colour-coded.
State and OSHA Definitions for OPIM
Some states add items to the OPIM list beyond the federal baseline. Wisconsin, for example, includes any unfixed human tissue or organ (other than intact skin), living or dead; blood, organs, or other tissues from experimental animals infected with blood-borne pathogens; cell, tissue, or organ cultures containing blood-borne pathogens, culture media, or other solutions containing blood-borne pathogens; and saliva from dental procedures where no visible blood is present.
In regard to safety and handling, OPIM should always be dealt with seriously and carefully. The Wisconsin Division of Health Services, Oregon OSHA, and California DIR all specify that any exposure requiring either an evaluation or medical attention is likely when any of the listed materials above, or blood:
- Sprays or splashes or otherwise causes such fluids to enter the nose, eyes, or mouth
- Punctures or breaks the skin, such as from potentially contaminated sharps
- May have gotten into an open or oozing lesion or any area with significant breakdown of skin integrity
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) also includes HIV-containing cell or tissue cultures, HIV- or HBV-containing culture media or other solutions, and blood, organs, or tissues from experimental animals infected with HIV or HBV.
OSHA Provision for OPIM Handling and Disposal
After OPIMs have been identified, proper handling, segregation, storage, packaging, and disposal is essential.
Several disposal options for OPIMs are recommended by OSHA. While OSHA does not regulate the disposal of medical waste or biomedical waste management processes, their standards carry much weight when it comes to compliant practices.
Tip: Healthcare facilities or any facility that produces OPIM is encouraged to refer to federal, state, and even county or city guidelines when it comes to disposal of OPIM waste.
The wording of OSHA’s Blood-borne Pathogen Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030) provides provisions that protect employees when handling regulated waste and potentially infectious materials that risk releasing either blood or OPIM in liquid or semi-liquid form.
A few examples of OPIM in a clinical environment might include but is not limited to:
- Blood in blood tubes or suction canisters
- Blood-soaked gauze, including gauze that has dried and may allow dried blood to flake off
- Surgical gloves or other types of gloves that don’t absorb blood
- Contaminated sharps including scalpels, needles, syringes with the needle still attached, and dental tools with blood on them
- Pathological waste that contains blood or OPIM
OPIM Disposal Guidelines for Healthcare Facilities
Daniels Health is aware that terminology plays a significant role in how medical waste management is handled in any given facility. The fine print of compliance regulation can get complicated. One person’s understanding of a term may differ from another’s. For example, OSHA’s use of “contaminated” or “potentially contaminated” can be considered fairly subjective depending on context. Even if something is “potentially contaminated,” it doesn’t automatically make it a regulated medical waste.
And in some cases, it’s up to the person handling the item to determine whether it’s contaminated with small or observable amounts of blood contaminated waste. Items containing small amounts of OPIM or blood are often allowed to be placed in regular plastic-lined trash bins, but the threshold for small varies by jurisdiction.
To prevent OPIM being placed in “regular” trash, Daniels Health suggests that healthcare workers managing biohazardous waste err on the side of caution, placing OPIM or blood specimens in labeled and colour-coded OPIM containers that have been properly closed before storing, transporting, or shipping to waste disposal facilities.
OPIM Disposal Examples:
- Red bags
- Dedicated waste containers
- Sharps containers
- Other colour-coded containers
Tip: Follow local and state DOT guidelines regarding labeling for any containers used for storage, transportation, or shipment of OPIM or blood, including use of biohazard symbols, appropriate colour (typically fluorescent orange or red), and lettering written in contrasting colors for enhanced visibility.
These should be deployed in and around the workplace. Education, training, and regularly scheduled in-services are recommended on a consistent basis to keep employees, from management down to housekeeping staff, safe and up to date on the latest regulations regarding OPIM handling and other medical waste. Maintaining healthcare compliance in this area reduces the risk of exposure incidents and associated regulatory penalties
Turn to Daniels Health for Your OPIM Disposal Solutions
Daniels Health is dedicated to ensuring compliance when it comes to comprehensive hazardous waste management and healthcare worker safety. Our specialized reusable waste containers, education resources, and medical waste programs are designed to reduce your risk of non-compliance and keep your staff protected.
Our OPIM disposal solutions include reusable containers with robotic decontamination that exceeds CDC sanitization requirements, an online compliance portal with training for Bloodborne Pathogens, OSHA, HIPAA, and DOT standards, and service support that adapts to your facility’s specific waste streams and scheduling needs.
Still have questions about OPIM management or regulated medical waste compliance? Daniels Health works with hospitals, surgical centers, clinics, and long-term care facilities across the US to build compliant, efficient medical waste programs. Request a quote or call us at 888-952-5580.
Amy Piser
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