Background: Biomedical waste (BMW) is waste generated during diagnosis, treatment, or immunization of human beings or animals or in research activities. BMW is hazardous and can be injurious to humans or animals and deleterious to environment. Effective management of BMW is a legal as well as a social responsibility. Objectives: To assess the knowledge and practice regarding hospital waste management among healthcare providers of a tertiary care hospital. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in the Departments of General Medicine, Surgery, Gynecology and Obstetrics, and Radiotherapy among 198 different hospital staff within 3 months with the help of a predesigned and pretested interview schedule to elicit the knowledge of BMW management. An observatory checklist is used to find out practices regarding BMW management prevailing in the above wards and staff of the hospital. Results: Majority (60.6%) of the study population belonged to the age group of 21–30 years. About one‑third of the total study population were junior doctors and nurses. 35.8% worked for 1 year in the hospital, and 29.8% worked within 2–5 years. All the participants had heard about BMW management, but only 1.5% had formal training. 6.6% knew about five‑color coding used for segregation of waste with red, black, yellow, blue bags and white puncture proof container. 31.3% knew correct disposal of sharps. All the participants knew about the use of personal protective measures while handling BMW and used in most of the time. 70.2% of respondents knew the use of gloves and mask together. In 33.3% of observation, it was seen that syringes were reused for the same patient. Four colored bins were used most of the time in the above‑studied wards. Conclusion and Recommendation: The above study revealed certain paucity of knowledge among the healthcare providers in the field of BMW management which adversely affected their practice. There should be regular comprehensive training programs regarding BMW management for all level of workers and strict implementation of them.
