Code of Maryland Regulations › Title 10 - MARYLAND DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH › Part 1 › Subtitle 07 - HOSPITALS › Chapter 10.07.02 - Nursing Homes › Section 10.07.02.57 - Housekeeping Services, Pest Control, and Laundry

Current through Register Vol. 51, No. 14, July 12, 2024
A. General Requirements. Unless otherwise
				  indicated, all general requirements apply to both new construction and an
				  existing nursing home.
B. Staff.
				  Sufficient housekeeping and maintenance personnel shall be employed to maintain
				  the interior and exterior of the facility in a safe, clean, orderly, and
				  attractive manner.
C. Cleanliness
				  and Maintenance.
(1) The building and all its
				  parts and facilities shall be kept in good repair, neat, and attractive. The
				  safety and comfort of the residents shall be the primary
				  consideration.
(2) All walls,
				  floors, ceilings, windows, and fixtures shall be kept clean. Interior walls and
				  floors shall be of a type to allow frequent and easy cleaning.
(3) The nursing home shall be kept free of
				  unnecessary accumulations of personal possessions, boxes, trunks, suitcases,
				  papers, unused furniture, bed clothing, linens, bric-a-brac, and similar
				  items.
(4) Storage areas shall be:
(a) Kept clean and orderly; and
(b) Readily accessible for:
(i) Housekeeping;
(ii) Maintenance; and
(iii) Pest control servicing.
(5) The grounds shall
				  be kept clean, neat, attractive, and free of hazards.
(6) Pest Control. The nursing home shall:
(a) Be maintained free of insects and rodents
				  by operation of an active pest-control program, either by use of maintenance
				  personnel or by contract with a pest-control company;
(b) Use and store toxic and flammable
				  insecticides and rodenticides with care;
(c) Ensure that usage of toxic and flammable
				  insecticides and rodenticides conforms to the U.S. Environmental Protection
				  Administration and Maryland Department of Agriculture requirements;
(d) Be protected to prevent the entry and
				  harborage of rodents and insects;
(e) Install and effectively maintain:
(i) Screen doors that fit tightly when
				  closed;
(ii) Easily adjusted
				  closely fitted window screens;
(iii) Rat-proofing devices; or
(iv) Other approved deterrents; and
(f) Effectively protect all
				  openings to the outside against the entry of insects by:
(i) Closed doors;
(ii) Closed windows; or
(iii) Other means.
(7) Laundry Services.
(a) A nursing home shall provide laundry
				  service, whether on-site or off-site.
(b) Laundry service shall be provided to meet
				  the residents' needs.
(c) All
				  laundry shall be processed and handled in a manner that prevents the spread of
				  infections. Staff working in laundry shall be given personal protective
				  equipment, including:
(i) Disposable
				  gloves;
(ii) Masks; and
(iii) Body coverings.
(d) All laundry shall be processed through
				  the use of sufficiently hot water, chemical agents, or a combination of the
				  both, to remove or destroy infectious biological materials.
(e) Clean and Soiled Areas.
(i) There shall be a physical separation
				  between the clean and soiled areas.
(ii) The soiled area shall allow for sorting
				  and washing soiled laundry.
(iii)
				  The clean area shall allow for drying and folding of clean laundry.
(iv) All soiled areas within a laundry shall
				  be connected to mechanically operated exhaust ventilation.
(f) The system provided in laundries may not
				  allow the spread of airborne contaminants to other parts of the nursing home
				  that are occupied by residents, staff not working in the laundry, and the
				  general public.
(g) The plumbing
				  fixtures for all water supply connections to washing machines and the plumbing
				  fixtures for all utility sinks shall have an integrated atmospheric vacuum
				  breaker or other approved back-flow prevention devices.