| (a) The facility shall adopt, implement, and enforce
policies to provide sufficient clean linen to ensure the comfort of
the patient.
(b) For purposes of this subsection, contaminated linen
is linen that has been soiled with blood or other potentially infectious
materials or may contain sharps. Other potentially infectious materials
means:
(1) the following human body fluids: semen, vaginal
secretions, cerebrospinal fluid, synovial fluid, pleural fluid, pericardial
fluid, peritoneal fluid, amniotic fluid, saliva in dental procedures,
any body fluid that is visibly contaminated with blood, and all body
fluids in situations where it is difficult or impossible to differentiate
between body fluids;
(2) any unfixed tissue or organ (other than intact
skin) from a human (living or dead); and
(3) Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-containing cell
or tissue cultures, organ cultures, and HIV or Hepatitis B Virus (HBV)-containing
culture medium or other solutions; and blood, organs, or other tissues
from experimental animals infected with HIV or HBV.
(c) The facility, whether it operates its own laundry
or uses a commercial service, shall ensure that employees of a facility
involved in transporting, processing, or otherwise handling clean
or soiled linen shall be given initial and follow-up in-service training
to ensure a safe product for patients and to safeguard employees in
their work.
(d) Employees who have contact with contaminated linen
shall wear gloves and other appropriate personal protective equipment.
(e) Clean linen shall be handled, transported, and
stored by methods that will ensure its cleanliness.
(f) Contaminated linen shall be handled as little as
possible and with a minimum of agitation.
(1) Contaminated linen shall not be sorted or rinsed
in patient care areas.
(2) Contaminated linen shall be bagged or put into
carts at the location where it was used.
(3) Contaminated linen shall be placed and transported
in bags or containers that are labeled or color-coded.
(4) Bags containing contaminated linen shall be closed
before transport.
(5) Whenever contaminated linen is wet and presents
a reasonable likelihood of soak-through or leakage from the bag or
container, the linen shall be deposited and transported in bags that
prevent leakage of fluids to the exterior.
(g) All linen placed in chutes shall be bagged.
(h) If chutes are not used to convey linen to a central
receiving or sorting room, adequate space shall be allocated in the
facility for holding the bagged contaminated linen.
(i) Linen shall be processed in the following manner.
(1) If hot water is used, linen shall be washed with
detergent in water with a temperature of at least 71 degrees Centigrade
(160 degrees Fahrenheit) for 25 minutes.
(2) If low-temperature (less than or equal to 70 degrees
Centigrade, 158 degrees Fahrenheit) laundry cycles are used, chemicals
suitable for low-temperature washing at proper use concentration shall
be used.
(3) Fabrics soiled with blood may be commercially dry
cleaned (because dry cleaning eliminates the risk of pathogen transmission).
(4) Flammable liquids shall not be used to process
laundry but may be used for equipment maintenance.
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