Medical waste moved back to KEMH from Ireland Island

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Excess medical waste that piled up in containers while the hospital incinerator was out of commission has been removed from a dump at the West End.

A spokeswoman for the Bermuda Hospitals Board said that all the remaining hazardous waste from Sally Port, Dockyard has gone into five refrigerated containers at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

The incinerator is located near the Berry Hill Road side of the complex.

“We expect it to take several weeks as it has to be processed alongside our normal waste management,” the spokeswoman added.

Asked why the backlog hadn’t been shipped overseas, she said: “Prior to shipping biomedical waste into the United States, contracts must be negotiated with credentialed US waste management operators.

“Approval from US Customs must be secured, and Bermuda must ensure that certain items, such as pharmaceuticals, have been removed.”

Acquiring spare parts for the specialised bio-oxidiser incinerator was no easy matter, she said.

“This is ageing technology and spare parts are not widely available, and sometimes require custom fabrication.”

As for the hospital staff processing the waste, she said “standard occupational health and safety guidelines” were being followed.

The backlog was made public by a source connected with the hospital who claimed workers’ safety was being jeopardised by the waste, which was not stored in refrigerated containers.

According to the BHB, the eight rented commercial containers, once cleaned, should be acceptable for reuse by the company that owns them.

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