en Occupational Health Original Article <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"><strong>Background: </strong>Laboratory wastes are one of the environmental issues of developing countries and cause diseases and epidemics. Laboratory waste management is planned with the aim of preventing unfavorable effects on human health and the environment. The aim of the present study was to determine the status of medical waste management in clinical laboratories affiliated with Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, in 2015.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"><strong>Materials and Methods:</strong> The present study was conducted through a census in all clinical laboratories of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences. Data were collected using a checklist that was designed and confirmed by the Iranian Health and Treatment Ministry. After administrative coordination, the checklist was completed through visits and interviews. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive tests in SPSS software.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"><strong>Results:</strong> The results showed that, in 40% of cases, individuals responsible for the collection of waste had received the necessary training. In addition, in 28.6% of cases, containers were labeled in order to determine the type of waste inside the container. In 57.1% of laboratories, there was no list of chemicals which must not be mixed during waste collection. The waste was disinfected using an autoclave in only 14.3% of cases.&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times new roman;"><strong>Conclusions:</strong> In the present study, the waste classification operation of the majority of laboratories was incomplete. In order to reduce contamination in these centers, measures must be taken regarding the disposal of waste at the site of its production. Furthermore, individuals responsible for collection and transference of waste must comply with personal protection measures.</span></p> Infectious Waste,Waste Management,Laboratory,Iran,Medical Waste, 176 181 http://johe.rums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-151-2&slc_lang=en&sid=1 F Mohseni Moghadam dmt_330@yahoo.com 22400319475328460011578 22400319475328460011578 No Facully Member, Dept. of Basic Science, Paramedical Faculty, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan , Iran. Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences M Tashakori m_tashakori44@yahoo.com 22400319475328460011579 22400319475328460011579 No Dept. of Basic Science, Paramedical Faculty ,Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran. Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences B Shahidi Zandi Shahidi Zandi@yahoo.com 22400319475328460011580 22400319475328460011580 No Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences M Hadavi hadavimaryam@yahoo.com 22400319475328460011581 22400319475328460011581 Yes Dept. of Anesthesiology, Paramedical Faculty, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences V Akbarpoor V_Akbar Pour@yahoo.com 22400319475328460011582 22400319475328460011582 No Dept. of Basic Science, Paramedical Faculty, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences F Kazemi F_kazemi@yahoo.com 22400319475328460011583 22400319475328460011583 No Dept. of Basic Science, Paramedical Faculty, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran. Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences M Moosavi SM_mosavi@yahoo.com 22400319475328460011584 22400319475328460011584 No Dept. of Basic Science, Paramedical Faculty, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran. Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences