Every time a healthcare facility infection outbreak is linked to linen services, healthcare laundry industry standards go under the microscope, according to an article on the American Laundry News website.

Healthcare laundry professionals agree that self-regulation is appropriate and effective to meet accepted industry standards, along with meeting requirements of organizations such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the article said.

Linda Fairbanks, executive director of the Association for Linen Management (ALM), says that her association supports efforts to improve practices and believes that voluntary laundry regulation programs can help to advance this aim.

“It’s recommended that each laundry research published best practices and follow to the best ability,” says Nancy Jenkins, executive director of the American Reusable Textile Association (ARTA).

Read the article.