Contaminated Laundry
Contaminated laundry may include bed sheets and blankets, towels, personal clothing, patient apparel, uniforms, scrub suits, gowns, and drapes for surgical procedures. Contaminated textiles and fabrics may contain high numbers of microorganisms from body substances, including blood, skin, stool, urine, vomitus, and other body tissues and fluids. The laundry process starts with the removal of used or contaminated textiles, fabrics, and/or clothing from the areas where contamination occurred.
Some facilities incorrectly allow employees to rinse contaminated laundry or laundry that might contain sharps, in dirty utility "hopper" rooms, instead of simply putting it in a container and then transporting it to the laundry. Sorting or rinsing contaminated laundry at the location where contamination occurred is prohibited by OSHA.
The Bloodborne Pathogen Standard requirements and best practices include:
- Employees must wear protective gloves, appropriate eye protection, outer garments, and other PPE as necessary when handling contaminated laundry.
- Bag, securely close, and handle contaminated laundry at the location where it was used.
- Transport contaminated laundry in bags or containers labeled or color-coded regardless of whether the laundry is transported within the facility or transported to an off-site laundry service.
- If the labeling of containers can be recognized by all employees to comply with universal precautions, alternative labeling or color-coding is sufficient when handling soiled laundry.
For more in-depth information on the Bloodborne Pathogen Standard, please see OSHAcademy course 655 Bloodborne Pathogens in the Workplace.
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2-4. What is the proper procedure for handling contaminated laundry?
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