Bio-hazardous medical waste is defined as any potentially hazardous waste that is generated in the diagnosis, treatment, immunization or injuries/treatment of injuries of Hillcrest students or staff.

As noted, Hillcrest does not generate significant quantities of bio-hazardous medical waste. Types of bio-hazardous medical waste generated by Hillcrest generally are limited to:
Sharps (e.g., syringes, lancets). Sharps are the most common type of bio-hazard material generated by Hillcrest.
Materials (e.g., used bandages) requiring disposal in red bio-hazard bags. These types of materials are rarely generated by Hillcrest. Periodic disposal of all bio-hazardous medical waste is conducted through and by the Hillcrest Dental Office, a subsidiary of Hillcrest Educational Centers, in Pittsfield.

The primary objective of the Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Plan is to maximize the safety and well-being of Hillcrest students, clients, staff and visitors by effectively and safely managing the selection, handling, storage, transportation, use and disposal of hazardous materials and waste.

Information regarding all hazardous waste and substances used at Hillcrest is available in each department using and/or generating these substances. Hillcrest conducts training for employees who use or are exposed to such materials/waste to insure the highest level of user knowledge. All employees using or generating such materials/waste are expected to use this knowledge and training to protect themselves and others from harm, and to insure that hazardous materials are being appropriately handled and disposed of in a safe and legal manner. Therefore Hillcrest:
• Trains all associated employees in the safe handling of hazardous materials and wastes.
• Maintains the proper inventory tracking systems necessary to manage the presence and disposal of hazardous materials and waste.
• Maintains the proper space, equipment and information systems necessary for the safe handling, storage and disposal of hazardous materials and wastes.
• Effectively manages the accidental release of a hazardous material into the environment and the use of established reporting and investigation procedures.

Hillcrest will accomplish this objective in a manner compliant with regulations promulgated by the Mass. Dept. of Early Education and Care (DEEC), Mass. Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), standards established by the Joint Commission (JC), and all other applicable laws, regulations and standards.

The Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Plan is developed and implemented in order to:
• Insure a safe and supportive environment of care for Hillcrest students, clients and staff.
• Protect Hillcrest students, clients, employees, visitors and others from harm or injury resulting from the use or presence of hazardous substances or the presence of bio-hazardous medical waste.
• Be in compliance with regulations promulgated by the Mass. Dept. of Early Education and Care (DEEC), Mass. Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), standards established by the Joint Commission (JC), and all other applicable laws, regulations and standards.

This plan is also designed to support any necessary coordination with emergency responders in the community to ensure a safe process for any and all hazardous materials occurrences.

BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION
There are minimal quantities of hazardous materials used by, and minimal quantities of bio-hazardous medical waste generated by, Hillcrest Educational Centers.
Hillcrest students and clients are relatively free from any serious medical or physical problems. Hazardous substances that are used by the agency are used primarily by the Housekeeping and Maintenance Departments, and these are minimized and relatively routine and common substances (e.g., cleaning solutions, surface finishes such as paints and varnishes). Similarly, the Nursing Department generates relatively little bio-hazardous medical waste, and most typically that associated with blood tests (e.g., lancets).
Additionally, all Hillcrest programs provide relatively high staff-to-student ratios for supervision and support, including awake overnight staff at residential programs. These high staff-to-student ratios help to insure student and staff safety with regard to protection from and avoidance of exposure to hazardous substances, including accidental release.

Despite the relative absence of hazardous materials/waste, and the high level of supervision and support provided to Hillcrest students, however, Hillcrest manages such substances with the utmost care and safety.

This Plan shall be reviewed and evaluated each year for its effectiveness, scope, performance and objectives. The review and evaluation will be conducted between March and May of each year, by a work group minimally consisting of the Director of Quality Assurance, the Director of Facilities, and the Chairpersons from each campus EOC Committee and/or their designee. The results of the review and evaluation, and related recommendations, will be reported sequentially to the campus EOC Committees and the Senior Management Team for their review and approval. Barring unforeseen and unavoidable delays, this revised Plan shall be implemented each July at the beginning of the new Program Year.

All residential campus supervisors are trained in the use and safety for Hillcrest’s power generators, which are arranged to provide power to essential areas and equipment on each campus.

In the event of a power failure lasting more than 15 minutes that disrupts hard-wired fire/smoke detection equipment, Berkshire Communicators, the contracted fire notification company, and the local fire department are notified. At residential campuses, if a power failure disrupts hard-wired fire/smoke detection equipment for one (1) continuous hour, a fire watch is provided for each occupied building and maintained until power and the detection systems are restored. (See the Fire Safety Management Plan for details on Fire Watch Procedures.) The on-call Senior Manager is notified.

In the event that a malfunctioning utility system has to be shut down, Hillcrest will conduct shut down and repair procedures in a safe manner, with as much planning as possible, so as to cause the least disruption possible to program, and to student routines and comfort.

Whenever possible, Hillcrest Maintenance staff perform repair services. In the event that Hillcrest staff cannot repair the utility system, the appropriate outside contractor is contacted.

In the event of utilities issues/problems, non-residential Hillcrest sites, including Housatonic Academy and Hillcrest Psychological Services, will take appropriate measures consistent with their service functions ( e.g., transport students home; cancel appointments; suspend operations).

In the event of a power outage of any duration, in any Hillcrest building or location:

1) During the day shift (7am – 3pm), Monday through Friday, immediately contact the maintenance person assigned to your work site.

2) In the event of a power outage lasting more than 15 minutes before 7 AM or after 3 PM, on Residential or Overnight shifts, the Maintenance Emergency cell phone should be called # 413-770-9425

In the event of a power or computer network outage* in any Hillcrest building or location, call the IT Dept. immediately at 413-499-0607 between the hours of 7:30 am – 5:30 pm or 413-266-1124 outside of regular business hours.

* A computer network outage is defined as the inability to log on to HECnet from 2 separate computers during a 3 hour period.

Utility related performance and risks are monitored in the following ways:
• Maintenance Department staff knowledge and skills are monitored through observation, supervision and annual evaluation.
• Monitoring and inspection activities by the Maintenance Department.
• Emergency and incident reports are reviewed by the Maintenance Department, campus Environment of Care Committees and agency Director of Quality Assurance.
• Inspection, preventive maintenance, and testing of equipment, as necessary and as appropriate.

New Maintenance Department staff participate in an orientation to the primary utility systems during their campus orientation. Thereafter, all Maintenance Dept. staff participate in Utility Systems refresher training at least annually, and they are oriented to any new utility-related equipment during or shortly after installation.

The Hillcrest Maintenance Department is responsible for maintaining a current mapping for distribution of utility systems and labeling controls for a partial or complete emergency shutdown.

The Maintenance Department is responsible for conducting any necessary emergency utility shutdown.