Medical waste containers

Our medical waste containers, or RMA containers for short, comply with ADR legislation (in order to be allowed to transport dangerous goods by road) and with the standard EN ISO23907.

Legislation and standard

In addition to the ADR regulation for RMA containers, there is also an international standard for these drums. This standard is called the EN ISO23907 and sets bars (demands) for:

  • the resistance to penetration
  • as well as the container stability
  • strength of the handles
  • and the indication of maximum filling limit

New requirement: toppling test

In 2019 they made the last revision to this standard EN ISO23907-1:2019. In this last revision, a new requirement and a new test have been added: a temporary closure has to be present and shall be capable of being re-opened with one hand. The toppling test checks that the lid in temporary lock position will not re-open if the filled box is toppled.  

Practical solution

The technical service of our supplier Plazur have found an efficient and practical way to achieve this.  A long while ago, they already discovered the benefits of having a (patented) lid that you can attach/hinge to the back of the drum. The advantage of this is that lids don’t get lost or left lying around in the operating theater. In addition, there is no need to purchase expensive tools to easily open and close the RMA vessel. There is also the optical and hygienic aspect; the barrel is neatly closed when not in use. So Plazurs lids were already attached to one side of the drum. At the front they added a tongue to the lids and an opening in the drums. This tongue is the temporary closure. You can insert it into the hole in the drum, to secure the drum-lid combination against accidentally opening (and spilling medical waste over the floor) when the drum topples.  

Work safely and healthily

It is not obligatory to use drums that are tested according to the ISO23907. But working with hazardous medical waste is a risk and you can never be too careful when securing the waste and keep your employees as safe as possible.

RMA containers according to the latest ISO standard

As of 01/2020, all our hazardous medical waste drums (from 30 liter, 47 liter, 50 liter and 60 liter) are equipped with this temporary closure. All this according to the latest adaptation of the ISO23907-1: 2019 standard.

Contact

Are you interested in RMA containers? Then contact us.