Condemnation and disposal of scrap from hospital
In the present day hospitals, apart from the numerous biomedical equipment, there are thousands of pharmaceutical products that are in use. It is essential that scientific inventory control procedures are followed for procurement.
Criteria for Condemnation:
The following criteria should be followed for condemnation of equipment:
- Non-functional and obsolete
- Non-functional and beyond economical repair
- Functional but obsolete
- Function but hazardous
- Functional but no longer required
Procedure for condemnation:
Condemnation committee
This committee assesses and decides whether an item/equipment should be condemned or not. The recommendation should be based on recommendation of the user department, history/ log sheet/ alternative place of use and so on. The committee should meet at regular intervals at least twice a year. The committee may be construed of the following
- Designated Medical Officer
- Matron/designated Nursing Officer
- Stores-in-charge
- In charge Maintenance Cell
Scrap
This term applies to unusable materials whose value is only in terms of its materials value e.g. iron, wood. Surplus from production processing are inevitable. Many raw materials undergo various transformations in the production process while they are being converted into finished goods. As a result, not all the materials a firm purchases are wholly consumed; a residue is left. One company stamps disks from copper strip for use in its main product. From this operation, at least 15 percent of the copper left cannot be used elsewhere in the firm’s production operations. The excess copper, therefore, must be disposed of as surplus. It is impossible for management to eliminate this type of surplus, which is called “scrap”. Rather management’s objective is to minimize legitimate scrap by means of intelligent planning and effective production controls.
Types of scrap:
The scrap may be two types of processes.
Revert scrap- originates as a result of making steel and steel products like those shown, and others-plates, structural, sheet, coils, bars, castings, wire ,and so on. Often called “home scrap”.
Industrial scrap- originates when steel products are made into items like automobiles, farm equipment, ships, and the many other things we use that are made from steel.
Disposal
After an item has been condemned it may be disposed.
Disposal takes five routes:
Circulation within the company: The usual method for circulation within the company is to prepare specifications on the material or equipment and send them to each division. The divisional management screens all facilities within its jurisdiction to determine whether the equipment can be used.
Returns to vendors: Many vendors allow the return of all types of surplus, both new and used. This is a courtesy that is routinely granted to large accounts. If the surplus material cannot be used within the firm, the return-to-vendor method of disposal is generally the next best meth of disposal.
Selling to other firms: Some companies sell surplus materials and equipment directly to other firms. Sale to other companies, however, often depends upon the physical condition of the surplus.
Selling to dealers and brokers: Surplus dealers and brokers constitute an excellent outlet for surplus materials. When a firm advertises surplus materials for sale, dealers often respond. Transactions with dealers are usually “where is, as is,” and most of the time they are for cash.
Selling to employees: Many firms make it a practice to sell both the products the firms manufacture and the firm’s surpluses to their employees. If the surpluses are the results of overstocking or obsolescence and the materials are in a new or good condition.