A detailed assessment of an incinerator based on fuel consumption and cycle time data is presented in this paper. The study was conducted at Temeke district hospital for 22 months consecutively covering 654 days of da...A detailed assessment of an incinerator based on fuel consumption and cycle time data is presented in this paper. The study was conducted at Temeke district hospital for 22 months consecutively covering 654 days of daily data collection on fuel consumption and cycle times. The composition for the medical waste incinerated varied between 15% and 35% for sharps waste and between 65% and 85% for other waste, with mean values of 25% and 75%, respectively. The results revealed poor performance of the incinerator due to higher fuel consumption (above 30 L/cycle). The incineration cycle times were observed to range between 2 and 4 hours, all of which were too high for the loading rates observed (55 - 214 kg). A strong dependency of diesel oil consumption on cycle time was observed due to lack of temperature control leading to continuous fuel flow into the burners. The incineration capacity was very low compared to other incinerators in terms of tons per year. This paper gives an insight on the factors affecting incinerator performance assessed based on diesel oil consumption and cycle times. It can be generalized that the incinerator performance was poor due to several factors ranging from poor incinerator design, operator skills, waste management practices, waste storage practices, etc. The hospital was advised to install a new incinerator with short incineration cycle time (30 - 40 minutes) and lower fuel consumption (10 L/cycle) at a loading rate of 200 kg/cycle.展开更多
This study was performed to evaluate the efficacy of the Demolizer? technology for the on-site sterilization of low vo-lumes of regulated medical waste. The objective was to demonstrate a minimum of 6 log10 reduction ...This study was performed to evaluate the efficacy of the Demolizer? technology for the on-site sterilization of low vo-lumes of regulated medical waste. The objective was to demonstrate a minimum of 6 log10 reduction of the dry heat sterilization process applied by the Demolizer? II system for the representative organisms, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, Mycobacterium phlei and Bacillus subtilis spores (formerly Bacillus subtilis) on simulated medical waste consistent with numerous regulatory standards for medical waste treatment. The system cycle was heat treatment at a minimum temperature of 350?F and held at or above this temperature for a minimum of 90 minutes. Upon completion of treatment, there was no evidence of growth in the bacterial species after treatment. Given the minimum detection level of 4 CFU/ml, the Demolizer? II system demonstrated a minimum sterilization efficacy of 6.6 log10 for both S. aureus and E. coli as representative gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria species. Candida albicans (6.7 log10 CFU/ml), Mycobacterium phlei (9.0 log10 CFU/ml) and Bacillus subtilis (6.3 log10 CFU/ml) were completely eliminated after sterilizing representative medical waste in the Demolizer? II system for 90 minutes at a minimum temperature of 350?F. Also, the Demolizer? II exceeded typical recognized standards for medical waste treatment of a 6 log10 reduction of Mycobacteria and a 4 log10 reduction of the appropriate Bacillus endospore.展开更多
In this research work, we consider the below inequalities: (1.1). The researchers attempt to find an answer as to what are the best possible parameters <i><i>α</i></i>, <i><i&...In this research work, we consider the below inequalities: (1.1). The researchers attempt to find an answer as to what are the best possible parameters <i><i>α</i></i>, <i><i>β</i></i> that (1.1) can be held? The main tool is the optimization of some suitable functions that we seek to find out. Without loss of generality, we have assumed that <i>a</i> > <i>b</i> and let <img src="Edit_26c0f99b-93dd-48ff-acdb-f1c8047744f1.bmp" alt="" /> for 1) and <i>a</i> < <i>b</i>, <img src="Edit_15c32a7a-e9ae-41d3-8f49-c6b9c01c7ece.bmp" alt="" />(<i>t</i> small) for 2) to determine the condition for <i><i>α</i></i> and <i><i>β</i></i> to become <i>f</i>(<i>t</i>) ≤ 0 and <i>g</i>(<i>t</i>) ≥ 0.展开更多
Temperature profiles and cycle times in a large-scale medical waste incinerator installed in a referral hospital were used to assess the performance and functionality of incinerator. The study was conducted using data...Temperature profiles and cycle times in a large-scale medical waste incinerator installed in a referral hospital were used to assess the performance and functionality of incinerator. The study was conducted using data collected from 8 cycles per days for 67 days. For proper combustion and destruction of toxic components in the primary chamber and destruction of pollutants and toxic components in the flue gas, it is desired to reach the maximum temperature in the chambers faster and maintain this maximum temperature for an extended time interval. The primary and secondary temperatures T1 and T2, respectively, were recorded at an interval of one minute for different cycles. Different amounts of wastes with varying proportions of sharps and other wastes were loaded into the incinerator and temperature profiles recorded. The analysis shows that the incinerator works at primary temperature less than the required recommended by manufacturer while the secondary chamber operates between 600 and above 950℃, although higher temperatures up to 1020℃ were observed. The average load preparation time was observed to be 14.6 minutes, while the chamber preheating time before daily initial loading was 25.45 minutes. Both temperature profiles were observed to have similar shapes for all combustion cycles studied, except when incinerator malfunctioning occurred. The average cycle time was established to be 32.7 minutes and 28.97 minutes based on time to drop to 550℃ after the maximum temperature and loading time intervals, respectively, although longer cycle times were observed. Temperature drop in both combustion chambers as a result of waste charging was observed in the interval of 5 minutes. The chamber heating rate was observed to decrease exponentially with time during both preheating and incineration operation.展开更多
The aim of the study was to analyze the performance of large scale incinerator installed in a referral hospital. The study involved weighing and loading infectious waste of different composition (sharps and other wast...The aim of the study was to analyze the performance of large scale incinerator installed in a referral hospital. The study involved weighing and loading infectious waste of different composition (sharps and other waste), recording temperatures in the primary and secondary chamber with time, fuel used and collecting and weighing the bottom ash for 65 days. The analysis shows that the incinerator on average uses 362 L/day (45 L/h) to incinerate 945 kg of medical waste (40.8 kg/day of sharps waste and 904 kg/day of other waste), generating 51.2 kg of ash daily. The observed fuel consumption rate was too high necessitating corrective action. The average weight reduction was 94.6%. The study shows that the average sharps waste composition for medical waste incinerated was 4.3% and other waste was 95.7%. The incinerator capacity ranged between 100 and 130 kg/h. The fuel effectiveness ranged between 2.0 and 3.0 liters of diesel per kg of waste incinerated. The fuel effectiveness increased linearly with total waste incinerated and incinerator capacity, respectively, depending on the fuel consumption rate.展开更多
The objective of this study was to assess the performance of an old existing medical waste incinerator in a district (Temeke) hospital. The medical waste incinerated was grouped into two categories: sharps waste and o...The objective of this study was to assess the performance of an old existing medical waste incinerator in a district (Temeke) hospital. The medical waste incinerated was grouped into two categories: sharps waste and other waste. The parameters assessed included amounts of sharps and other waste incinerated, amount of fuel used and the incineration cycle time. One incineration cycle was conducted per day and data was collected for 22 months (N = 653). It was established that the total waste incinerated per day ranged from 70 to 120 kg, completing the process between 2 and 4 hrs and consuming 20 to 40 L of fuel per day. The analysis showed further that sharps waste incinerated were 25% of the total waste while other waste incinerated were about 75% on average. The average diesel oil used was 30 L/day and average cycle time was observed to be 3 hrs, both being excessively high indicating that the performance of the incin-erator was poor. The statistical analysis was used to reveal stronger variations in other waste than sharps waste. The PDF plots, skewness and kurtosis values indicated that there were weak variations in the daily diesel oil consumed and incineration cycle time while stronger variations were observed in the other waste compared to sharps waste data. Normalization of the incinerator performance data allowed comparison between different data types also indicating poor performance of the incinerator. Proper segregation at point of generation and proper storage of medical waste was recommended. It was further recommended for the hospital to install a new and efficient incinerator with short incineration cycle time and less fuel consumption.展开更多
BACKGROUND Needle stick and sharps injuries(NSIs)may cause infections among medical personnel.Obesity and overtime work among medical personnel increase the incidence of work injuries.AIM To investigate whether overti...BACKGROUND Needle stick and sharps injuries(NSIs)may cause infections among medical personnel.Obesity and overtime work among medical personnel increase the incidence of work injuries.AIM To investigate whether overtime work and obesity increase the risk of NSIs.METHODS This cross-sectional study used the data of 847 hospital personnel,including 104 doctors,613 nurses,67 medical laboratory scientists,54 specialist technicians,and nine surgical assistants.Of them,29 participants notified the hospital of having at least one NSI in 2017.The data collected included age,overtime work,body mass index,medical specialty such as doctor or nurse,and professional grade such as attending physician or resident.Theχ2 and Fisher’s exact tests were used to compare categorical variables.Multiple logistic regression analysis and the Sobel test were used to assess the risk of NSIs.RESULTS Overtime work,body weight,and medical specialty were significantly associated with NSIs(P<0.05).After adjustment for risk factors,heavy overtime work was an independent risk factor for NSIs,and healthy body weight and nursing specialty were independent protective factors against NSIs.After adjustment for risk factors,medical personnel with healthy body weight has half as many NSIs as those with unhealthy body weight;the proportion of NSIs in doctors with healthy body weight was 0.2 times that in doctors with unhealthy body weight;the proportion of injuries among residents was 17.3 times higher than that among attending physicians;the proportion of injuries among junior nurses was 3.9 times higher than that among experienced nurses;the proportion of injuries among nurses with heavy overtime work was 6.6 times higher than that among nurses with mild overtime work;and the proportion of injuries among residents was 19.5 times higher than that among junior nurses.Heavy overtime work mediated the association of medical specialty with NSIs.CONCLUSION In addition to promoting the use of safety needles and providing infection control education,managers 展开更多
BACKGROUND Burnout,musculoskeletal pain,and sharps injuries(SIs)affect medical workers.AIM To establish a model between SIs,burnout,and the risk factors to assess the extent to which burnout affects SIs.METHODS This q...BACKGROUND Burnout,musculoskeletal pain,and sharps injuries(SIs)affect medical workers.AIM To establish a model between SIs,burnout,and the risk factors to assess the extent to which burnout affects SIs.METHODS This questionnaire was used for an observational and cross-sectional study,which was based on members at a hospital affiliated with a medical university in Taichung,Taiwan,in 2020.The valid responses constituted 68.5%(1734 of 2531).The items were drawn from the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire and Copenhagen burnout inventory and concerned work experience,occupational category,presence of chronic diseases,sleep duration,overtime work,and work schedule.Factor analysis,chi-square test,Fisher exact test,Multiple linear,logistic regression and Sobel test were conducted.The present analyses were performed using SAS Enterprise Guide 6.1 software(SAS Institute Inc.,Cary,NC,United States),and significance was set at P<0.05.RESULTS Personal and work-related burnout ranks, sex, work experience ranks, occupationalgroups, drinking in the past month, sleep duration per day, presence ofchronic diseases, overtime work ranks, and work schedule were associated withSIs. Frequent upper limb and lower limb pain (pain occurring every day or once aweek) determined to be related to SIs. High personal burnout (> Q3) and highwork-related burnout (> Q3) mediated the relationship between SIs and frequentlower limb pain. Similarly, frequent lower limb pain mediated the relationship ofSIs with high personal and high work-related burnout. High personal and highwork-related burnout mediated the relationships of SIs with overtime work andirregular shift work. The mediating model provides strong evidence of anassociation between mental health and SIs.CONCLUSIONBurnout was determined to contribute to SIs occurrence;specifically, it mediatedthe relationships of SIs with frequent musculoskeletal pain, overtime work, andirregular shift work.展开更多
文摘A detailed assessment of an incinerator based on fuel consumption and cycle time data is presented in this paper. The study was conducted at Temeke district hospital for 22 months consecutively covering 654 days of daily data collection on fuel consumption and cycle times. The composition for the medical waste incinerated varied between 15% and 35% for sharps waste and between 65% and 85% for other waste, with mean values of 25% and 75%, respectively. The results revealed poor performance of the incinerator due to higher fuel consumption (above 30 L/cycle). The incineration cycle times were observed to range between 2 and 4 hours, all of which were too high for the loading rates observed (55 - 214 kg). A strong dependency of diesel oil consumption on cycle time was observed due to lack of temperature control leading to continuous fuel flow into the burners. The incineration capacity was very low compared to other incinerators in terms of tons per year. This paper gives an insight on the factors affecting incinerator performance assessed based on diesel oil consumption and cycle times. It can be generalized that the incinerator performance was poor due to several factors ranging from poor incinerator design, operator skills, waste management practices, waste storage practices, etc. The hospital was advised to install a new incinerator with short incineration cycle time (30 - 40 minutes) and lower fuel consumption (10 L/cycle) at a loading rate of 200 kg/cycle.
文摘This study was performed to evaluate the efficacy of the Demolizer? technology for the on-site sterilization of low vo-lumes of regulated medical waste. The objective was to demonstrate a minimum of 6 log10 reduction of the dry heat sterilization process applied by the Demolizer? II system for the representative organisms, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, Mycobacterium phlei and Bacillus subtilis spores (formerly Bacillus subtilis) on simulated medical waste consistent with numerous regulatory standards for medical waste treatment. The system cycle was heat treatment at a minimum temperature of 350?F and held at or above this temperature for a minimum of 90 minutes. Upon completion of treatment, there was no evidence of growth in the bacterial species after treatment. Given the minimum detection level of 4 CFU/ml, the Demolizer? II system demonstrated a minimum sterilization efficacy of 6.6 log10 for both S. aureus and E. coli as representative gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria species. Candida albicans (6.7 log10 CFU/ml), Mycobacterium phlei (9.0 log10 CFU/ml) and Bacillus subtilis (6.3 log10 CFU/ml) were completely eliminated after sterilizing representative medical waste in the Demolizer? II system for 90 minutes at a minimum temperature of 350?F. Also, the Demolizer? II exceeded typical recognized standards for medical waste treatment of a 6 log10 reduction of Mycobacteria and a 4 log10 reduction of the appropriate Bacillus endospore.
文摘In this research work, we consider the below inequalities: (1.1). The researchers attempt to find an answer as to what are the best possible parameters <i><i>α</i></i>, <i><i>β</i></i> that (1.1) can be held? The main tool is the optimization of some suitable functions that we seek to find out. Without loss of generality, we have assumed that <i>a</i> > <i>b</i> and let <img src="Edit_26c0f99b-93dd-48ff-acdb-f1c8047744f1.bmp" alt="" /> for 1) and <i>a</i> < <i>b</i>, <img src="Edit_15c32a7a-e9ae-41d3-8f49-c6b9c01c7ece.bmp" alt="" />(<i>t</i> small) for 2) to determine the condition for <i><i>α</i></i> and <i><i>β</i></i> to become <i>f</i>(<i>t</i>) ≤ 0 and <i>g</i>(<i>t</i>) ≥ 0.
文摘Temperature profiles and cycle times in a large-scale medical waste incinerator installed in a referral hospital were used to assess the performance and functionality of incinerator. The study was conducted using data collected from 8 cycles per days for 67 days. For proper combustion and destruction of toxic components in the primary chamber and destruction of pollutants and toxic components in the flue gas, it is desired to reach the maximum temperature in the chambers faster and maintain this maximum temperature for an extended time interval. The primary and secondary temperatures T1 and T2, respectively, were recorded at an interval of one minute for different cycles. Different amounts of wastes with varying proportions of sharps and other wastes were loaded into the incinerator and temperature profiles recorded. The analysis shows that the incinerator works at primary temperature less than the required recommended by manufacturer while the secondary chamber operates between 600 and above 950℃, although higher temperatures up to 1020℃ were observed. The average load preparation time was observed to be 14.6 minutes, while the chamber preheating time before daily initial loading was 25.45 minutes. Both temperature profiles were observed to have similar shapes for all combustion cycles studied, except when incinerator malfunctioning occurred. The average cycle time was established to be 32.7 minutes and 28.97 minutes based on time to drop to 550℃ after the maximum temperature and loading time intervals, respectively, although longer cycle times were observed. Temperature drop in both combustion chambers as a result of waste charging was observed in the interval of 5 minutes. The chamber heating rate was observed to decrease exponentially with time during both preheating and incineration operation.
文摘The aim of the study was to analyze the performance of large scale incinerator installed in a referral hospital. The study involved weighing and loading infectious waste of different composition (sharps and other waste), recording temperatures in the primary and secondary chamber with time, fuel used and collecting and weighing the bottom ash for 65 days. The analysis shows that the incinerator on average uses 362 L/day (45 L/h) to incinerate 945 kg of medical waste (40.8 kg/day of sharps waste and 904 kg/day of other waste), generating 51.2 kg of ash daily. The observed fuel consumption rate was too high necessitating corrective action. The average weight reduction was 94.6%. The study shows that the average sharps waste composition for medical waste incinerated was 4.3% and other waste was 95.7%. The incinerator capacity ranged between 100 and 130 kg/h. The fuel effectiveness ranged between 2.0 and 3.0 liters of diesel per kg of waste incinerated. The fuel effectiveness increased linearly with total waste incinerated and incinerator capacity, respectively, depending on the fuel consumption rate.
文摘The objective of this study was to assess the performance of an old existing medical waste incinerator in a district (Temeke) hospital. The medical waste incinerated was grouped into two categories: sharps waste and other waste. The parameters assessed included amounts of sharps and other waste incinerated, amount of fuel used and the incineration cycle time. One incineration cycle was conducted per day and data was collected for 22 months (N = 653). It was established that the total waste incinerated per day ranged from 70 to 120 kg, completing the process between 2 and 4 hrs and consuming 20 to 40 L of fuel per day. The analysis showed further that sharps waste incinerated were 25% of the total waste while other waste incinerated were about 75% on average. The average diesel oil used was 30 L/day and average cycle time was observed to be 3 hrs, both being excessively high indicating that the performance of the incin-erator was poor. The statistical analysis was used to reveal stronger variations in other waste than sharps waste. The PDF plots, skewness and kurtosis values indicated that there were weak variations in the daily diesel oil consumed and incineration cycle time while stronger variations were observed in the other waste compared to sharps waste data. Normalization of the incinerator performance data allowed comparison between different data types also indicating poor performance of the incinerator. Proper segregation at point of generation and proper storage of medical waste was recommended. It was further recommended for the hospital to install a new and efficient incinerator with short incineration cycle time and less fuel consumption.
基金the Institutional Review Board of Chung Shan Medical University Hospital on December 2,2019(CSMUH No:CS19137).
文摘BACKGROUND Needle stick and sharps injuries(NSIs)may cause infections among medical personnel.Obesity and overtime work among medical personnel increase the incidence of work injuries.AIM To investigate whether overtime work and obesity increase the risk of NSIs.METHODS This cross-sectional study used the data of 847 hospital personnel,including 104 doctors,613 nurses,67 medical laboratory scientists,54 specialist technicians,and nine surgical assistants.Of them,29 participants notified the hospital of having at least one NSI in 2017.The data collected included age,overtime work,body mass index,medical specialty such as doctor or nurse,and professional grade such as attending physician or resident.Theχ2 and Fisher’s exact tests were used to compare categorical variables.Multiple logistic regression analysis and the Sobel test were used to assess the risk of NSIs.RESULTS Overtime work,body weight,and medical specialty were significantly associated with NSIs(P<0.05).After adjustment for risk factors,heavy overtime work was an independent risk factor for NSIs,and healthy body weight and nursing specialty were independent protective factors against NSIs.After adjustment for risk factors,medical personnel with healthy body weight has half as many NSIs as those with unhealthy body weight;the proportion of NSIs in doctors with healthy body weight was 0.2 times that in doctors with unhealthy body weight;the proportion of injuries among residents was 17.3 times higher than that among attending physicians;the proportion of injuries among junior nurses was 3.9 times higher than that among experienced nurses;the proportion of injuries among nurses with heavy overtime work was 6.6 times higher than that among nurses with mild overtime work;and the proportion of injuries among residents was 19.5 times higher than that among junior nurses.Heavy overtime work mediated the association of medical specialty with NSIs.CONCLUSION In addition to promoting the use of safety needles and providing infection control education,managers
文摘BACKGROUND Burnout,musculoskeletal pain,and sharps injuries(SIs)affect medical workers.AIM To establish a model between SIs,burnout,and the risk factors to assess the extent to which burnout affects SIs.METHODS This questionnaire was used for an observational and cross-sectional study,which was based on members at a hospital affiliated with a medical university in Taichung,Taiwan,in 2020.The valid responses constituted 68.5%(1734 of 2531).The items were drawn from the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire and Copenhagen burnout inventory and concerned work experience,occupational category,presence of chronic diseases,sleep duration,overtime work,and work schedule.Factor analysis,chi-square test,Fisher exact test,Multiple linear,logistic regression and Sobel test were conducted.The present analyses were performed using SAS Enterprise Guide 6.1 software(SAS Institute Inc.,Cary,NC,United States),and significance was set at P<0.05.RESULTS Personal and work-related burnout ranks, sex, work experience ranks, occupationalgroups, drinking in the past month, sleep duration per day, presence ofchronic diseases, overtime work ranks, and work schedule were associated withSIs. Frequent upper limb and lower limb pain (pain occurring every day or once aweek) determined to be related to SIs. High personal burnout (> Q3) and highwork-related burnout (> Q3) mediated the relationship between SIs and frequentlower limb pain. Similarly, frequent lower limb pain mediated the relationship ofSIs with high personal and high work-related burnout. High personal and highwork-related burnout mediated the relationships of SIs with overtime work andirregular shift work. The mediating model provides strong evidence of anassociation between mental health and SIs.CONCLUSIONBurnout was determined to contribute to SIs occurrence;specifically, it mediatedthe relationships of SIs with frequent musculoskeletal pain, overtime work, andirregular shift work.
