Laundry Workers Safe Systems of Work/Operating Procedures
(to be displayed in Laundry areas)
Staff Handling of Dirty Linen
All dirty linen must be handled with care, to minimise transmission of
microorganisms via dust and skin scales.
Plastic disposable aprons must be worn when there is potential for contamination
of the clothing, i.e. when changing beds.
All dirty linen must be placed carefully and directly into the appropriate laundry
bag on removal from the bed or service user.
Dirty linen must never be transported around the care environment unless within
a linen bag and appropriately labelled.
Transportation of linen between premises or to and from the laundry area must
be in accordance with the Nugent Care procedure.
Hands must be washed immediately following the handling of any dirty linen. If
linen is soiled with blood or body fluids, or from an infected service user,
disposable gloves must be worn.
Care must be taken to remove any non-laundry items from dirty linen before it is
placed in laundry bags. These can cause injuries to staff handling the laundry,
and may also damage laundry equipment.
To avoid spillage of dirty linen, linen bags must never be more than two thirds
full, and must be securely tied with a knot prior to transport to the laundry and
appropriately labelled.
Bins or trolleys used for the transportation of dirty linen must be easy to clean,
and must never be used to transport clean linen.
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Categorisation and Segregation of Linen
It is the responsibility of the person disposing of the linen to ensure that it is
segregated appropriately. All linen can be categorised into the following three
groups:
a) Clean or unused linen
b) Soiled or infected linen
c) Dirty or used linen
a, Any linen that has not been used since it was last laundered.
All clean linen must be stored off the floor in a clean, closed cupboard, and must
be segregated from used / soiled linen. Linen cupboard doors must be kept
closed to prevent airborne contamination. Linen must not be stored within the
sluice or bathroom.
If taken into an isolation room and not used, linen must then be laundered before
use.
Clean linen must be in a good state of repair, as tearing or roughness can
damage the patient’s skin. The condition of linen in use should be monitored by
the laundry staff.
b, Any used linen which is soiled with blood or any other body fluid.
The above categorisation includes all linen used by a service user with a known
infection (whether soiled or not).
All soiled / infected linen must be placed in a soluble bag, inside a clear plastic
laundry bag. The soluble bag must be placed directly into the washing machine
to minimise contact and prevent transmission of infection to laundry staff or
contamination of the environment. The outer clear plastic bag should be
disposed of as clinical waste.
c, All used linen other than that listed above.
All linen that falls within this category must be placed within a clear plastic
laundry bag.
This system of categorisation applies whether the items are being laundered onsite or by the laundry contractor.
Bags of dirty / used or soiled / infected linen must be stored in a secure area,
away from public access, whilst awaiting collection.
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The Safe Laundering Process
During the laundering process many micro-organisms will be physically removed
from linen by the detergent and water, and most are destroyed by a high
temperature wash. Any remaining micro-organisms are likely to be destroyed by
tumble drying and ironing.
Bed linen - All bed linen must be laundered by the designated on site laundry
worker in the facility provided.
Personal items - All personal items of clothing, which are not taken home for
laundering by visitors / relatives, should be laundered on-site.
Personal items, as above, must be bagged before being moved to the laundry.
Each resident’s items must be bagged and washed separately on the appropriate
cycle.
Manual soaking / washing of soiled items must never be carried out. A sluice
cycle or cold pre-wash must be used for all soiled items.
Care should always be taken not to overfill or under-fill the washing machine
drum.
Heat resistant items must be processed in a cycle which reaches 71ºC (for not
less than 3 minutes) or 65ºC (for not less than 10 minutes), where Otex
machines are not in use.
Heat labelled items should be washed on the hottest cycle possible for that item.
If soiled items are taken home by relatives for laundering, no pre-washing or
soaking of the item must take place. If soluble bags are provided for use in
domestic machines, they must be the type with a dissolvable seam, as fully
soluble bags may cause machine blockage.
The work uniforms of staff must be changed daily. It is recommended that staff
send their uniforms to the laundry for cleaning, where available, to ensure
thorough cleaning.
If uniforms are not sent to the laundry service, they should be washed at home,
separately from other items, and must be washed as per the instructions for heat
resistant personal items above (with a cold pre-wash if soiled).
If a uniform becomes contaminated with blood or body fluid, it must be changed
for a clean one as soon as possible. It may therefore be necessary to keep a few
spare uniforms at each site. The contaminated item should be placed in a soluble
bag. Ideally, it should be sent to the on-site laundry, rather than be taken home.
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If dissolving bags are provided for use in domestic machines, they must be the
type with a dissolvable seam, as fully soluble bags may cause blockage.
Curtains / Soft Furnishings - Curtains in the premises should be laundered on a
six monthly basis or when soiled or potentially contaminated through contact with
an infected material or service user.
Any curtains purchased for the premises must be machine washable.
Alternatively, the use of disposable curtains may be considered. Only curtains
purchased by Nugent Care can be used in the establishments.
Soft furnishings such as chairs should be purchased with wipe-able coverings.
Any stained or soiled chairs should be steam cleaned or discarded as soon as
possible. Steam cleaning should be carried out by a cleaning specialist in
accordance with the approved contract specification determined by Purchasing.
Pillows - Pillows must never be laundered. All pillows must be covered with an
impervious waterproof cover. If the pillow itself becomes soiled, it must be
discarded.
Manual handling equipment
Service users may be provided with either their own hoist sling or there should be
a suitable cleaning regime in place for the use of shared slings or disposable
slings may be used, as appropriate.
Service users must have their own sliding sheet if required, which must be
laundered regularly.
Where there is any soiling of fabric items, they must be laundered immediately
and must not be washed by hand.
Mop heads - Mop heads must be machine washed on a weekly basis, separately
from other items, unless they are of a disposable type.
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Laundry Facility Safety Requirements
No washing machine must be purchased without the involvement of the
Purchasing Manager.
An on-site laundry must be situated within a designated room that is used for
laundry purposes only. Access to this room should be limited to staff involved in
the laundry process.
The room should be well lit and well ventilated. The floors, walls, splash-backs
and work surfaces must be impervious and easy to clean. Cleaning of the room
should take place on a daily basis. Eating or drinking is not permitted in laundry
rooms.
The design of the laundry should accommodate the need for clean and dirty
areas, i.e. dirty linen should be able to be brought into the laundry, processed
and come out as clean linen, without it becoming re-contaminated by dirty linen.
Soiled or infected linen (which should be placed into the machine in a soluble
bag) should be washed separately, after all other laundry, using the hottest wash
possible for the fabric. The washing machine must not be overloaded. Hands
should be washed after any contact with dirty linen, and gloves and apron worn
to reduce the risk of any contact with blood or body fluids.
Laundry bins should be cleaned with hot water and detergent at least weekly.
Washing machines should be disinfected weekly by running a hot program
without a load (unless Otex machines are in use).
Where Otex machines have been installed the need to use the hottest cycle is
not required to effectively achieve sanitised laundry.
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