Implementing a failsafe approach to laundry cycle management for the healthcare segment is by no means an easy task. With soiled linen, as well as other items such as uniforms, mops and cleaning cloths, all posing as potential vehicles for the inadvertent spread of infection, choosing the right laundry solution is an important line of defense.
While maximizing patient care is understandably the healthcare segment’s top priority, given the high volume of items processed each day, the operational impact on laundry staff must also be taken into consideration. How, then, can healthcare laundry managers find the right balance between infection prevention and ergonomic operation? Landry Guillochon, Global Business Development Manager Laundry Solutions, explains more.
Believe in the barrier
At the heart of any effective healthcare laundry operation should be a physical barrier between where dirty linen is collated and clean linen is stored.
Used linen should be collected and pre-sorted as early as possible, ideally at the source (i.e. a patient’s bed). It should then be safely and securely transported to the dirty side of the laundry room and further sorted into batches ahead of each wash cycle.
Without a doubt, the most effective washing solution for the healthcare industry is a barrier washer. This helps maintain a physical barrier between the dirty and clean sides of the laundry and avoids the risk of accidental contamination of clean linen, while also ensuring compliance with RABC (Risk Analysis and Biocontamination Control).
While the infection prevention characteristics of a barrier washer are well known, it is important to also consider its impact on laundry operators themselves. Large healthcare sites may process hundreds of kilograms of soiled linen each day – all of which will significantly increase in weight at the end of a wash cycle due to the high moisture content at the post-wash/pre-drying stage.
Given the high capacity of many modern barrier washers, manually handling large volumes of wet linen on daily basis presents a genuine occupational hazard and can lead to a raft of musculoskeletal injuries over time.
When investing in your next barrier washer, it is worth considering models with built-in ergonomics. For example, the Line 6000 Pullman series of barrier washers has been designed to minimize operator strain and tension, while also benefiting from a host of trustable hygiene programs.
All models – with a dry weight capacity of 70, 90 or 110kg – feature a dual-partition drum which auto-positions at the end of each cycle for the safe unloading of high volumes of wet linen. The Auto Inner Door Opening feature maximizes operator safety by pre-opening the inner drum doors at the end of each wash cycle. The drum is also split into two parts to allow for gravity-enabled unloading, which is both easier and safer for the operator. Coupled with the large door opening, two operators can efficiently unload the washer while avoiding any linen falling on the floor and potentially requiring a rewash.
As a result of these innovative design features, the Pullman series has achieved the prestigious 4-star rating for physical and cognitive operator-machine interaction from ErgoCert, the first internationally-accredited Body for the Ergonomic Certification.
Iron out the risks
Once the wet linen has been safely unloaded from the barrier washer, the next step of an effective laundry cycle management program is to quickly dry and finish the linen on the clean side of the laundry to further minimize any contamination risk.
Ironing can play an important role in maintaining a robust infection prevention strategy by helping to achieve hygienic dryness and preventing the creation of an environment where bacteria could thrive.
A great example is the DIAMMS™ technology, which can be found on the Electrolux Professional FFS Vibe Ironer. This first-to-industry technology automatically regulates the cycle speed depending on the residual moisture levels to deliver hygienically dry sheets.
If for any reason the retained humidity is too high, the optional Hygiene Guard feature will automatically reject the linen. This ensures every item processed by the FFS Vibe ironer complies with RABC international standards and provides a critical safeguard in the prevention of potentially harmful bacteria spreading via laundry.
Crucially, the FFS Vibe Ironer is also able to meet the demanding day-to-day requirements of a busy healthcare laundry while promoting ergonomic operation for the user.
Only one person is required to manage the machine, which automatically feeds the linen with the integrated feeder, before ironing, folding and stacking items once processed. The machine automation helps to reduce the risk of musculoskeletal injuries linked to excessive manual handling. What’s more, the 7” intuitive HD user interface is optimally positioned to reduce neck pain and awkward postures, while the clamp and stacker heights have been designed to reduce shoulder elevation and back pain respectively. As a result, the FFS Vibe ironer has also achieved the 4-star ErgoCert rating.
Once the linen has been ironed and the residual moisture threshold is below 8%, it needs to be safely transported to the storeroom, ahead of future use. While all linen should have been processed in line with RABC standards, it is recommended that healthcare sites us a ‘first in, first out’ system to ensure linen does not remain in storage for too long.
Finding the right balance
In hygiene-critical applications, consistent and discipled laundry habits are a must. This mindset, combined with the right laundry equipment on both sides of the laundry, will go a long way to mitigating the risk of contamination in healthcare environments.
However, laundry managers should not forget the role equipment can play in helping or hindering their operators. Sourcing equipment which combines both hygienic programming and ergonomic design principles will help achieve a laundry which keeps everyone safe, time after time.