Unless the context requires otherwise, the definitions in this article govern the construction of this part.

were published on January 1, 2014. The film bag shall meet an impact resistance of 165 grams and a tearing resistance of 480 grams in both parallel and perpendicular planes with respect to the length of the bag.

“Chemotherapeutic agent” means an agent that kills or prevents the reproduction of malignant cells. Chemotherapeutic agent excludes anti-inflammatory and antibiotic medications used to treat malignant cells in the practice of veterinary medicine.

“Common carrier” means either of the following:

permit issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles pursuant to the Motor Carriers of Property Permit Act (Division 14.85 (commencing with Section 34600) of the Vehicle Code) and, if applicable, a carrier identification number issued by the Department of the California Highway Patrol pursuant to Section 34507.5 of the Vehicle Code.

“Common storage facility” means any designated accumulation area that is onsite and is used by small quantity generators otherwise operating independently for the storage of medical waste for collection by a registered hazardous waste hauler.

“Container” means the rigid container in which the medical waste is placed prior to transporting for purposes of storage or treatment.

“Empty” means a condition achieved when tubing, a container, or inner liner removed from a container that previously contained liquid or solid material, including, but not limited to, a chemotherapeutic agent, is considered empty. The tubing, container, or inner liner removed from the container shall be considered empty if it has been emptied so that the following conditions are met:

container or inner liner held is not pourable, no material or waste remains in the container or inner liner that can feasibly be removed by scraping.

“Enforcement agency” means the department or the local agency administering this part.

“Enforcement officer” means the director, or agents or registered environmental health specialists appointed by the director, and all local health officers, directors of environmental health, and their duly authorized registered environmental health specialists and environmental health specialist trainees, or the designees of the director, local health officers, or the directors of environmental health.

“Fund” means the Medical Waste Management Fund created pursuant to Section 117885.

“Hazardous waste hauler” means a person registered as a hazardous waste hauler pursuant to Article 6 (commencing with Section 25160) and Article 6.5 (commencing with Section 25167.1) of Chapter 6.5 of Division 20 and Chapter 30 (commencing with Section 66001) of Division 4 of Title 22 of the California Code of Regulations.

“Health care professional” means any person licensed or certified pursuant to Division 2 (commencing with Section 500) of the Business and Professions Code; any person licensed pursuant to the Osteopathic Initiative Act, as set forth in Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 3600) of Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code, or pursuant to the Chiropractic Initiative Act, as set forth in Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 1000) of Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code; and any person certified pursuant to Division 2.5

(commencing with Section 1797).

“Highly communicable diseases” means diseases, such as those caused by organisms classified by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as risk group 3 organisms or higher.

“Household waste” means any material, including garbage, trash, and sanitary wastes in septic tanks and medical waste, that is derived from households, farms, or ranches. Household waste does not include trauma scene waste.

“Home-generated sharps waste” means hypodermic needles, pen needles, intravenous needles, lancets, and other devices that are used to penetrate the skin for the delivery of medications derived from a household, including a multifamily residence or household.

“Industrial hygienist” means a person who has met the educational requirements of an industrial hygiene certification organization, as defined in subdivision (c) of Section 20700 of the Business and Professions Code, and who has had at least one year in the comprehensive practice of industrial hygiene, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 20700 of the Business and Professions Code.

“Infectious agent” means a type of microorganism, bacteria, mold, parasite, or virus, including, but not limited to, organisms managed as Biosafety Level II, III, or IV by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that normally causes, or significantly contributes to the cause of, increased morbidity or mortality of human beings.

“Large quantity generator” means a medical waste generator, other than a trauma scene waste management practitioner, that generates 200 or more pounds of medical waste in any month of a 12-month period.

“Local agency” means the local health department, as defined in Section 101185, or the local comprehensive environmental agency established in accordance with Section 101275, of a county that has elected to adopt a local ordinance to administer and enforce this part, pursuant to Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 117800).

farming operations; waste generated from the consolidation of home-generated sharps; and waste generated in the cleanup of trauma scenes. Biohazardous, pathology, pharmaceutical, sharps, and trace chemotherapy wastes that meet the conditions of this section are not subject to any of the hazardous waste requirements found in Chapter 6.5 (commencing with Section 25100) of Division 20.

diagnosis and immunization; or from biomedical research, which includes the production and testing of biological products.

(ii) Regulated medical waste or clinical waste or biomedical waste suspected of containing a highly communicable disease.

wastes.

cutting or piercing, including, but not limited to, hypodermic needles, hypodermic needles with syringes, blades, needles with attached tubing, acupuncture needles, root canal files, broken glass items used in health care such as Pasteur pipettes and blood vials contaminated with biohazardous waste, and any item capable of cutting or piercing from trauma scene waste.

defined in Section 5193 of Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations, and that has been removed, is to be removed, or is in the process of being removed, from a trauma scene by a trauma scene waste management practitioner.