Healthcare laundries should regularly test for contamination and challenge their hygiene practices at multiple points throughout the process, according to Gregory Gicewicz in a two-part series, "Countering Concerns in Healthcare Laundry Sanitation," recently published
in American Laundry News (ALN). Gicewicz is president of Sterile Surgical Systems of Tumwater, WA. Gicewicz (photo, right) is past president of the Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council (HLAC) and currently serves as HLAC inspection committee chair.
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The ALN series features various experts in the field and industry and includes news of peer-reviewed research examining contamination and sanitary linens, and discussion of recent events raising relevant safety concerns
In the second part of the series, Gicewicz stresses the importance of effective training of laundry employees on the highest standards for infection prevention. He says training should include topics like bloodborne pathogens, personal protective equipment (PPE), linen inspecting, wash chemistry, cart cleaning, cart protecting, environmental cleaning, environmental testing, and safe linen handling. And he recommends testing of employees on the training.
Regarding laundry employees, Gicewicz says in the article that laundry work hits home hardest when laundry employees see the impact of their work on sick hospital patients. "Laundry workers who witness the criticality of their work in patient safety are much more likely to view their work as a higher calling rather than just a job," he says. "Give them this opportunity by taking them to see their work in action."
March 12, 2020
Topic Area: Press Release
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