FEATURE


specify how clean and dirty linens are transported and that carts and delivery vehicles are decontaminated on a regu- lar basis.


Proper wash formulas in the launder- ing process are constantly monitored to assure consistent delivery of hygienical- ly clean linens, adequately removing any “bio-burden”—the number of bacteria living on a surface that has not been ster- ilized—so that they can be used without fear of being a contamination source. Wash water quality and usage, tempera- ture, pH, oxidation, chemical sanitizers, drying, ironing and equipment perfor- mance are all carefully controlled. HLAC accreditation requirements


also incorporate OSHA Standard Pre- cautions that must be included as part of a health care laundry’s daily operations to protect its employees who handle and sort soiled health care linens.


Other Health Care Facility Safety Concerns Commercial laundry facilities provide a wide array of linens and textiles to health care facilities, including lab coats, scrubs, patient gowns, bed linens, tow- els, draw sheets and medi pads, to name a few. In the past few years, professional organizations, such as the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN), have revised their recommend- ed practices to strongly support accred- ited laundry facilities for the laundering of surgical attire. Laundry and linen service providers


also supply fluid-resistant laundry bags, antimicrobial floor mats, microfiber wet mops and handles that improve clean- ing performance and help reduce the chance of cross-contamination, as do touch-free soap, sanitizer and towel dis- pensers that they may supply. Plus, re- search has shown that microfiber mop- ping systems reduce heavy, repetitive lifting and problematic body positions by health care housekeeping staff. Other health care facility


safety hazards include slips and falls both on


Picking a Provider Ask the following questions when choosing a laundry service for your ASC: 1. Is the vendor certified by the Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council (HLAC)?


2. Does the vendor use the latest technology to ensure linens that are hygieni- cally clean as specified by the HLAC Standards, www.hlacnet.org/2011%20 HLAC%20Standards%20Checklist.pdf? Is the vendor willing to allow you to inspect his plant and provide documentation that ensures that his facility complies with (and possibly exceeds) all required technological standards?


3. Does the vendor provide electronic counting of soiled linens and online ac- cess to account usage, which ensures proper inventory accountability, pro- vides valuable information that helps control replacement linen costs and reduces the overall time spent on the management of linen supplies?


4. Is the vendor aware of the most recent changes to the National Fire Pro- tection Association (NFPA) and International Fire Code (IFC) fire codes with regard to the use of fire retardant containers in facilities such as laundries to help reduce the risk of spontaneous combustion?


Accreditation from HLAC provides assurance that health care textiles are being processed by


a company that adheres to the required standards.” —P.J. Dempsey, Dempsey Uniform & Linen Supply


the service floor and in ancillary ar- eas, such as hospital and nursing home dining and restrooms. Dry and well- maintained anti-fatigue, anti-slip floor mats provided by a commercial linen service can help reduce slips and falls, and message mats that contain safety/ cleanliness or quality-related remind- ers can keep these issues top-of-mind for employees.


Laundry Fires Are More Frequent Than You Might Think One in six laundries, be they commer- cial, industrial or institutional, reports a fire each year according to a January 2009 McClure Industries Inc. article, Spontaneous Ignition Fires In Laun- dries. The numbers account for 3,000- plus laundry fires annually. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) cites dryers as a contributing factor in 70 per- cent of the fires. Spontaneous ignition is behind 5 percent of the fires with the remaining 25 percent of the fire losses


being attributed to faulty electrical ar- rangements, machinery failure, careless smoking and arson. There are costs to insuring against this threat, including sprinkler systems, training and the cost of liability insurance itself. These invest- ments are more easily justified when laundry is a company’s core business, instead of an in-house service. Health care settings where linens are critical to operations should be sure that their sup- plier has a back-up laundry plant.


Conclusion As an ASC, whose first priority of busi- ness is the safety of its patients, educate yourself and review all the options be- fore choosing a laundry. Laundry facili- ties need to meet stringent requirements to offer you safe products.


P.J. Dempsey is the president of Dempsey Uniform & Linen Supply in Jessup, Penn- sylvania, www.dempseyuniform.com.


ASC FOCUS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2013 27


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