United States of America
Allegiant Linen Services, LLC, a locally owned and operated laundry in Madison, Tennessee that serves the central portion of that state, recently received Hygienically Clean certification for healthcare laundry.
Hygienically Clean has been the quantified, validated standard and measure for hygienically clean textiles in North America since 2011. Achievement of this certification reflects their commitment to laundry best management practices (BMPs) as confirmed by on-site inspection and their ability to produce hygienically clean textiles as demonstrated by ongoing microbial testing based on established hygienically clean textile methods and Healthcare standards have been quantified.
The Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification confirms this organization's continued commitment to infection prevention, adherence to recognized industry standards, and processing of health textiles using BMPs as described in the quality assurance documentation, a focus for the evaluation of the Hygienically Clean inspectors. The independent third party inspection must also confirm material evidence that:
The employees are trained and protected accordingly
Managers understand the regulatory requirements
OSHA compliant
The physical facility is working effectively
To get certification first, laundries pass three rounds of result-based microbial tests that indicate their processes are producing hygienically clean health textiles and reducing the presence of yeast, mold and harmful bacteria. You must also pass a facility inspection. To maintain their certification, they must pass quarterly RODAC and semi-annual USP 62 tests (RODAC results less than or equal to 20 CFU per square diameter and USP 62 results must indicate the absence of specified microorganisms) to ensure laundry conditions change. Like water quality, textile fabric composition and washing chemistry, the quality of the washed products is constantly maintained. The review takes place every two to three years.
This process eliminates subjectivity by focusing on results and outcomes that verify that the textiles cleaned in these facilities meet appropriate sanitary clean standards and BMPs for hospitals, surgery centers, doctor's offices, nursing homes and other medical facilities.
"Congratulations to Allegiant Linen Services on their latest certification," said Joseph Ricci, President and CEO of TRSA. "This achievement demonstrates their commitment to infection prevention and that their laundries are taking all possible steps to prevent human disease."
Reflecting the evolution of healthcare laundry certification in the face of growing global infection control concerns, Hygienically Clean documents practices that ensure the elimination of potentially harmful microbial levels while adding a quantifiable review of continuous improvement in overall cleanliness.
For information on Hygienically Clean certification programs, contact Angela Freemanat E: afreeman@trsa.org or visit www.hygienicallyclean.org.
