South Carolina Code of Regulations › Chapter 61 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL › Subchapter 61-16 - Minimum Standards for Licensing Hospitals and Institutional General Infirmaries › Sec2 61-16.1800 - INFECTION CONTROL. (I) › Section 61-16.1805 - Laundry and Linens

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 6, June 28, 2024
A. Linen includes surgical clothing. An adequate supply of clean, sanitary linen shall be available at all times.
B. The hospital shall have a clean linen storage area and a separate soiled linen storage area. These storage areas shall be used solely for their intended purposes. The soiled linen storage area shall have mechanical ventilation to the outside.
C. In order to prevent contamination of clean linen by dust or other airborne particles or organisms, linen shall be stored and transported in a sanitary manner, i.e., enclosed and covered. Clean linen shall be stored in a dedicated cart, closet, or cabinet which is covered and dedicated only for the use of clean linen. Non-linen items shall not be stored in the same cart as clean linen. Clean non-linen items may be stored in the same closet or cabinet as clean linen, but shall not be stored on the same shelf.
D. The hospital shall have policies addressing the storage, handling, distribution, collection, and reprocessing of linen for the hospital. If the hospital uses an off-site laundry, the hospital must ensure through contract that the linen is handled and cleaned properly to institutional standards. The hospital will assure that laundry services whether operated by the hospital or contracted will exercise necessary precautions to render all linen to be safe for reuse.
E. The hospital shall have policies for collecting, transporting, and storing all soiled linen. Soiled linen shall be kept in closed or covered containers while being collected, transported or stored and shall be stored separately from clean linen and patient areas. These containers shall be cleaned and disinfected weekly at a minimum and immediately if visibly soiled. Hospitals operating laundries within the buildings accommodating patients shall provide proper insulation to prevent transmission of noises to patient areas. The laundry shall be well ventilated and the general air movement shall be from the cleanest areas to the most contaminated areas.
F. All used linen must be handled as if it is infectious. Used linen shall be placed in durable bags which, by color or terminology, identify the contents as contaminated and must be transported in these closed bags to the soiled linen holding area or laundry. All linen from patients with infectious or communicable diseases shall be placed in durable bags identified "contaminated" and transported in these closed bags to the soiled linen holding area or laundry.
G. Soiled linen shall be neither sorted nor rinsed in patient rooms.
H. Laundry operations shall not be carried out in patient rooms or where food is prepared, served, or stored.
I. Soiled linen area floors shall be cleaned daily. The area shall be cleaned and disinfected weekly at a minimum and more frequently if necessary to control odors and bacteria.
J. If linen chutes are used, the linen shall be enclosed in durable bags, identified, by color or terminology, as contaminated, before placing in the chute. Chutes shall be cleaned monthly.
K. Personnel must wear appropriate protective attire in accordance with the hospitals policies and procedures. Personnel must wash their hands thoroughly after handling soiled linen.