HOSPITAL LAUNDRY FACILITIES
The ‘clean’ (pictured left) and ‘dirty’ (right) side rooms of a barrier washer set-up.
a porter. As with the bags themselves, bins should be clearly labelled with the point of origin, in order to avoid cross- contamination between wards. Any member of staff involved in the handling of linens must wash their hands thoroughly both before and afterwards. Laundry items are then transported to a secure holding area in preparation for washing. The key here is ensuring a swift turnaround – items should aim to be washed within a few hours of being collected, and should be stored away from any clean laundry in the interest of hygiene.
Barrier washers recommended While some smaller healthcare sites and care homes may choose to opt for standard commercial washers, the best way to ensure total separation between dirty and clean laundry is through a barrier washer. Unlike a standard domestic or commercial appliance, which is both loaded and unloaded from a singular opening, barrier washers feature a dedicated loading point for dirty laundry, with the unloading point featured on the reverse of the machine. Crucially, as the name suggests, the two are separated by a barrier, eliminating the risk of cross-contamination, and allowing hospital staff to easily adhere to hygiene guidance. This functionally also splits the on-premises laundry into ‘dirty’ and ‘clean’ rooms, with the washer itself forming the partition. Here, the laundry manager has the option of assigning dedicated staff to each – one to sort and load used linens, and another to unload, dry, iron, and re- sort. Alternatively, members of staff can work on both sides of the washer through the addition of a decontamination suite in between the two, allowing PPE to be changed and staff to thoroughly disinfect their person prior to entering the ‘clean’ side. This said, the former method is preferred, as it offers a failsafe approach to hygiene, alongside promoting a leaner, more efficient workflow.
46 Health Estate Journal June 2024 Speaking of which – many barrier
washers, such as Electrolux Professional’s newly launched Line 6000 Pullman Barrier Washer range – incorporate a number of ergonomic and intelligent features to help reduce strain on staff while increasing the speed of loading and unloading. First and foremost, the drum itself is split into two parts to aid with sorting, and will automatically position itself at the start and end of each cycle. While loading, linen is weighed automatically, with the weight displayed digitally via the ClarusVibe touchscreen display, allowing staff to ensure that the washer is loaded to the optimum capacity for each and every cycle. Moreover, the interface also uses simple, tile-based icons, and supports up to 35 different languages, allowing any member of staff to easily operate the washer with minimal training. Once a cycle has been selected, key information such as the selected cycle and remaining time will be displayed on the reverse ClarusVibe display for the benefit of the staff member assigned to unloading. From here, the outer doors will lock automatically to secure the dirty laundry within. The Hygiene Watchdog function will then ensure that the full cycle is completed, and will only release the linen within once this criterion is met, guaranteeing maximum defence against the spread of infection.
Automatic unlocking Following this, the drum will again position itself and unlock automatically, ready for unloading. Research from the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries reveals that ergonomic interventions such as these can reduce work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) by 59%, with an average decrease of 75% in sick days, alongside a 25% increase in productivity . Here, all Electrolux Professional Line 6000 solutions have been awarded the prestigious 4-star rating from Ergocert, meaning they have been user tested to minimise tension and strain
on operators, alongside promoting better physical and cognitive interaction. While a barrier washer offers a central
focus for OPL design, there are other factors to consider when it comes to layout. As with collection and loading, a swift turnaround is key to maximising hygiene across the process, as well as maintaining an efficient operation. For this reason, dryers should look to be positioned close to the unloading point of the washers, which has the added benefit of reducing the amount of manual labour required to transport wet linen between the two appliances. Previously, this has been limited by the need for the supporting ventilation ducting for a dryer, although specifying heat pump dryers instead means this is no longer a consideration. Unlike standard dryers, units powered
by a heat pump do not require exhaust or water cooling, allowing them to be installed almost anywhere. A small footprint and ultra-quiet 56 dB operation further enhance the heat pump dryers’ ‘plug & play’ capabilities, making them an ideal fit for a hospital on-premises laundry. So, what is the catch? There has long been a misconception that heat pump dryers are far slower than their conventional counterparts. While this may have once been true, ongoing innovations in the field have since rendered this statement false. Electrolux Professional’s Line 6000 Heat Pump Dryer, for instance, incorporates an inverter-driven compressor and electronic valve within the heat pump unit. This significantly reduces temperature fluctuations versus traditional mechanical valve regulation, resulting in better temperature control and faster dewatering.
Tangible benefits The benefits here are tangible, delivering energy savings of up to 65% versus a vented dryer, while offering cycle times of 35 minutes – just five minutes longer than a standard model. When the lifetime energy savings of each unit and freedom
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