PREVENTING CONTAMINATION
Throughout the healthcare sector, soiled linen is one of the principle vehicles for potentially harmful bacteria. For those coming into contact with items such as bedsheets, towels and clothing every day, that means prolonged exposure to potentially dangerous articles. Here, Amanda Symmons (née
Dufrane), Care Segment Manager at Electrolux Professional, discusses how to deal with contaminated laundry and limit the risks involved.
WHAT DOES CONTAMINATED
LAUNDRY MEAN? In the UK, contaminated laundry refers to any item of linen which has either been fouled by human waste, or infected by somebody with a contagious illness. Interestingly, our definition of contaminated laundry is different to the rest of Europe, where they have separate processes depending on whether linen is fouled or infected. Here, regardless of whether somebody has wet the bed or contracted a healthcare acquired infection (HCAI), the linen will be considered ‘red bag’ washing.
HOW ARE INFECTIONS TRANSMITTED? Infections are generally transmitted either through the air, through food, through insects or through contact – by which we mean things like linen. This makes linen one of the main ways bacteria and viruses are spread around in a healthcare environment.
In order to protect both staff and residents or patients, it is vital that those working in a care environment ensure that all linen remains safe at every stage of its journey – from the time it is collected when dirty, to how it is transported and stored once clean. Part of that is wearing the correct protective clothing, such as gloves and aprons, when handling contaminated laundry in order to contain the exposure to potentially harmful micro-organisms.
HOW SHOULD STAFF DEAL WITH WHO HAS OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE
TO CONTAMINATED LAUNDRY? When it comes to who has occupational exposure to contaminated laundry, there are two key things think about: one is that if you work in a care environment and you are handling foul or infected linen, you are at risk of being exposed to any bacteria that it might be contaminated with. Just as important is that the majority of residents or patients within a healthcare facility will be particularly vulnerable to infection.
HOW CAN THESE RISKS BE REDUCED? Because humans and animals are where bacteria and viruses originate, the best way to reduce the risk of infection in a care facility is to reduce the amount of contact between staff and linen – with four being the highest number of interactions recommended.
40 | HEALTHCARE HYGIENE
SOILED LINEN? In order to help operators with managing the full laundry process, Electrolux Professional has established its own system of ensuring linen is cleaned properly, and kept clean until it is ready to be used again. The eight-step process is based around the Risk Analysis Biocontamination Control (RABC) principle, which helps to identify the dangers within any given environment, and establish the correct target levels and tolerances for each potential hazard.
With that in mind, the laundry cycle management system gives operators detailed help with each stage of the journey, explaining how linen should be collected, transported, washed, dried, packed, transported and ultimately stored once clean.
WHY SHOULD CARE HOMES USE
COLOUR-CODED BAGS FOR LAUNDRY? The obvious benefit to using a colour-coded system is that it will allow the segregation of different types of laundry materials. Because items most at risk of causing infection can be separated from an early stage, it is much easier to ensure each one is accurately identified and dealt with accordingly – dramatically reducing the risk of infection to staff, and vulnerable residents and patients.
www.electrolux.co.uk/professional twitter.com/TomoCleaning
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