Customer Background
Customer is the largest provider of medical waste services in North America, providing business and consulting services to more than 476,000 customers worldwide since 1989. The company consists of multiple treatment/collection facilities, and transfer/collection sites throughout North America. They offer services in the areas of medical waste management, OSHA compliance, pharmaceutical services, water management, and prescription medical waste compliance programs. They focus on helping promote safety, improve regulatory compliance, and managing risks related to medical waste.
Challenge
The customer needed a container washing system to sanitize and remove residual medical waste materials from plastic sharps containers and lids. Sharps containers are used in hospitals and clinics for the safe handling of used syringes, gauze bandages, and other medical waste. Their current system was antiquated and did not adequately dry the containers. In addition to removing residual debris, the system needed to sanitize the containers in accordance with FDA mandate.
Solution
Alliance provided a modified Aquamaster CB-4800X conveyorized belt system with wash, rinse (sanitize), and heated blowoff zones. Given the corrosion-resistant nature of the sanitizing chemistry, the machine was constructed from Type-316 stainless steel. The machine was equipped with three gas-fired burners for immersion and blowoff heat. In order to thermally sanitize the containers, the rinse/sanitize zone was designed to maintain a minimum temperature of 190°F. The machine consisted of a multiple-lane configuration with lane guides for accommodating multiple container sizes and related lids. All three lanes were designed to accept containers. In addition, the outside lane was equipped with a retractable lid holder to guide the lids as they travel through the machine. The machine was equipped with a removable debris basket for coarse filtration. A micro-filtration unit was included for finer filtering of particulate and other debris. Pressure differential monitors were added to the pump system for monitoring pressure. Customer-specified paint colors and labels were used.
