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Health Hazards of Medical Waste and its Disposal 115

8.7.1.2 Chief Pharmacist
The chief pharmacist is responsible for the safe management of pharmaceu-
tical stores and for minimizing pharmaceutical waste.
Duties include:
Liaising with department heads, the waste-management officer, the ma-
tron, and the hospital manager, and giving advice, in accordance with
the national policy and guidelines, on the appropriate procedures for
pharmaceutical waste treatment and disposal; coordinating continual
monitoring of procedures for the treatment and disposal of pharmaceu-
tical waste; ensuring that personnel involved in pharmaceutical waste
handling, treatment, and disposal receive adequate training; remaining
up to date with the proper treatment and safe disposal of expired, dam-
aged, and unusable pharmaceuticals, pharmaceutical packaging, and
equipment.
The chief pharmacist also has the special responsibility of ensuring that
genotoxic products are used safely, and that genotoxic waste is managed
safely.

8.7.1.3 Adiation Officer
The duties and responsibilities of the radiation officer are the same as those
of the pharmaceutical officer, but relate to radioactive waste. There may also
be additional regulations regarding the storage and safeguarding of radioac-
tive wastes. These regulations need to be followed strictly for the safety of
those handling the wastes.

8.7.1.4 Supply Officer
The supply officer should liaise with the waste-management officer to en-
sure a continuous supply of the items required for waste management (plas-
tic bags and containers of the right quality, spare parts for on-site health-care
waste-treatment equipment). These items should be ordered in good time
to ensure that they are always available, but accumulation of excessive stores
supplies should be avoided. The supply officer should also investigate the
possibility of purchasing environmentally friendly products (e.g., polyvinyl
chloride-free plastic items).

8.7.1.5 Hospital Engineer
The hospital engineer is responsible for installing and maintaining
waste-storage facilities and handling equipment that complies with the
specifications of the national guidelines. The engineer is also accountable