OhioHealth Earns Best-in-Class Hazardous Waste Designation
Key Takeaways:
- OhioHealth earned Clean Harbors’ Best-in-Class Designation for exceptional hazardous waste management and is currently the only healthcare organization in North America to hold the title.
- The designation required six consecutive, in-depth audits with scores of 95% or higher, covering training, documentation, waste practices, emergency preparedness, compliance processes and an on-site walkthrough.
- Over the past two years, OhioHealth’s Environmental Health and Safety team has strengthened and standardized hazardous, non-hazardous, pharmaceutical and universal waste programs to support regulatory compliance.
- OhioHealth is preparing for a six-month follow-up audit while expanding its focus on universal waste, e-waste, recycling and other sustainability initiatives.
OhioHealth has earned a Best-in-Class Designation through Clean Harbors, recognizing the OhioHealth Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) team’s work in hazardous waste management.
The designation honors organizations that demonstrate exceptional performance in hazardous waste management. OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital was selected as the audit site because it is OhioHealth’s only large quantity generator, providing auditors with an opportunity to evaluate the system’s hazardous waste management processes and standards as part of the certification review.
Clean Harbors, OhioHealth’s contracted hazardous waste management vendor, partnered with the organization throughout the certification process. Over the past two years, the EHS team has developed and enhanced programs for hazardous, non-hazardous, pharmaceutical, and universal waste, establishing consistent standards and processes that support regulatory compliance across OhioHealth. Mike Davison, Senior Environmental Health and Safety Consultant, supports these efforts through environmental compliance and hazardous waste management activities across the system.
“We are honored to receive this recognition, which reflects the commitment and collaboration of many departments across OhioHealth,” Davison said. “We are currently the only healthcare organization in North America that hold this title from Clean Harbors.”
To receive the award, OhioHealth had to pass six consecutive, in-depth audits with scores of 95% or higher, Davison explained. The audits go beyond typical EPA, compliance and regulatory requirements. “It’s basically doing all of that plus best management practices on top of a couple of items that they see.”
The audits assess OhioHealth’s Hazardous Waste Management Program, reviewing training, documentation, waste management practices, emergency preparedness, and compliance processes. Auditors also conduct a facility walkthrough to verify that required protocols are in place and operating effectively.
“Every square inch of this program they go over, so to achieve the 95% or higher is absolutely remarkable,” Davison said. “The grading is very strict with minimal room for error, so there is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes to achieve this metric.”
“This recognition reflects OhioHealth’s commitment to safety, regulatory compliance, and operational excellence,” said Lindsey O’Keefe, Manager of Environmental Health and Safety. “Mike and our partners at Clean Harbors have played a critical role in strengthening and standardizing our waste management programs. Through a shared focus on continuous improvement, including support from a dedicated Clean Harbors auditor on our team, we have enhanced compliance, improved performance, and established consistent standards across the health system.”
The designation reflects a commitment to continuous improvement, not a one-time achievement. Clean Harbors will return in December for a six-month follow-up assessment, and OhioHealth has already begun preparing to maintain the designation while continuing to strengthen the system-wide standards that support safe, compliant, and responsible waste management practices.
“After we pass that audit, the process moves to an annual review, but Clean Harbors can conduct an audit at any time,” Davison said. “That’s why we stay ready every day.”
Davison said the safe management of hazardous waste is a critical responsibility across OhioHealth. Working closely with Clean Harbors, the EHS team has developed robust processes and controls to ensure hazardous materials are handled responsibly and in compliance with environmental regulations.
“For the community, patients and associates, knowing that we are handling these materials safely, following every rule set by our regulatory bodies and exceeding the standards can provide peace of mind,” Davison said. “It shows we are working to make the workplace, the hospital and the organization better and more compliant, with the resources from OhioHealth to support that work.”
This work extends beyond Riverside Methodist to all 16 OhioHealth hospitals, freestanding emergency departments and OhioHealth Physician Group locations. The EHS team is leveraging the improvements implemented at Riverside Methodist, along with lessons learned through the audit process, to support the adoption of consistent system-wide standards across all OhioHealth locations.
“There’s a lot of things that aren’t required for a site that’s registered as a very small quantity generator or small quantity generator, but every location is held to consistent system-wide standards for hazardous waste management. Regardless of size, every site is expected to meet the same expectations for training, documentation, storage, and handling,” Davison said.
The EHS team’s work extends beyond hazardous waste management and includes collaboration with OhioHealth’s sustainability team on broader environmental sustainability initiatives across the health system.
“Sustainability is an important part of how we care for our communities today and into the future,” Terri Scannell, OhioHealth principal advisor of sustainability said. “By partnering with the Environmental Health and Safety team, we can build on this work and find new ways to reduce waste, improve recycling efforts and strengthen practices that support the health of our patients, associates and the environment.”
“We’ve made significant progress in strengthening OhioHealth’s hazardous waste management program, and our focus is now shifting toward opportunities to enhance our universal waste and e-waste programs,” Davison said. “As those efforts evolve, we look forward to partnering with the sustainability team to identify solutions that support OhioHealth’s long-term goals.”
Through these efforts, OhioHealth continues to advance a culture of safety, sustainability, and accountability, ensuring consistent practices that benefit patients, associates, and communities across the system.
