Healthcare Hygiene magazine December 2019 | Page 39

to visit the healthcare laundry at least annually. Keeping in
mind that a lot can happen over a year, a better suggestion
is to visit -- unannounced -- at least quarterly. Knowing what
to look for during the visit, a more appropriate term would be
inspection, may be daunting, but should not be off-putting or
intimidating. The Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council
(HLACnet.org) makes available at no cost on their website
a checklist that IPs can become familiar with and use during
inspections regardless of the laundry’s accreditation or
certification status.
Don’t expect to find a clean-room environment; after all,
a healthcare laundry is a production facility that uses large,
state-of-the-art equipment, water, and steam lines throughout
the facility, as well as fans and electrical conduit. It will be
necessarily a manufacturing facility where professionals take
dirty, stained, contaminated healthcare laundry products
and turn them into sanitary textiles. Laundering on such a
large scale requires following standardized processes and
procedures meticulously.
The more often the IP visits the healthcare laundry
contractor, the more information and understanding of how
their job requires regular visits. Visits and knowledge will also
improve communication, cooperation, and collaboration in
meeting the needs of the healthcare facility and the contractor.
Regardless of the excellence of a healthcare laundry, if a
hospital or healthcare facility fails to receive, transport, store,
and distribute the HCTs in ways that will maintain the integrity
of the textiles, all will be for naught.
People are prone to believe “it’s the other guy” that
spreads germs and fails to follow the rules, regulations, and
guidelines. “It’s the other guy” that doesn’t wash their hands
before encountering hygienic HCT’s. “It’s the other guy” that
carries the clean textiles against their uniform or scrubs and
picks up textiles that have fallen to a floor and uses them for
patient care. “It’s the other guy, not me,” that sneezes onto
clean textiles or sneezes or coughs into the crook of their
arm then gathers HCTs into the same contaminated arm or
uniform. “It’s the other guy” that wipes sweat from their brow
or face and unconsciously puts the contaminated washcloth
or hand towel into a patient room for use. And “It’s the other
guy” that brings an excess of HCTs into a patient room and
leaves them on an unclean counter and used for the newly
arriving patient. The reality is that everyone is “the other guy.”
When the healthcare textile becomes so commonplace that
it becomes overlooked and taken for granted, harm may occur
to patients and staff. When taken for granted, things may no
longer be valued; thus, the laying of a foundation for injury.
Laundry and linen processing must be valued. Healthcare
facilities must elevate the value and importance of transporting,
handling, storage, and distribution of hygienic HCTs, if for no
other reason that the benefit of patients.
John Scherberger, FAHE is the owner of Healthcare Risk
Mitigation in Spartanburg, S.C.  He is a subject matter expert
in healthcare environmental services, healthcare linen and
laundry operations, and infection prevention. 
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