seeking information around Laundry chutes in hospitals as infection control issue

[Tozer, Jennifer (Health)]

Can any of the ACIPC members please provide me with information around laundry chutes in the health care setting around issues from an infection control perspective . Also I would be very grateful if anyone could direct me towards literature around this topic of: laundry chutes and if they are deemed an infection control issue or not.

Thank you for your assistance

Jennifer K Tozer
BArts Anthro,RN,MHN,IC cert
Infection Prevention & Control Coordinator
Central and Northern Adelaide Local Health Networks
CALHN – MHS [Glenside Campus]
NALHN – MHS [Oakden and James Nash House Campuses]

Telephone (08) 7425 6237 Facsimile (08) 7425 6208 Mobile 0423 782 171
Infection Prevention and Control is Everybody’s Business.
email jennifer.tozer@health.sa.gov.au
This email may contain confidential information, which may also be legally privileged. Only the intended recipient (s) may access, use, distribute or copy this email. If this email is received in error, please inform me by return email & delete the original.If there are doubts about the validity of this message please contact me by phone. It is the recipients responsibility to check the email and any attachments for viruses.

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[HIP Consultancy]

Chutes are not recommended as per Australian Standards HB 260-2003: Hospital
Acquired Infections – Engineering down the risks. Section 3.2 part (o)

The CDC Guidelines for Environmental Infection Control in Health-Care
Facilities also has information regarding laundry chutes.

Both documents contain similar information regarding the spread of airborne
contaminants from laundry chutes. Special design considerations must be
taken into account if used e.g. negative pressure.

There are also problems with cleaning – it is very difficult to clean chute.

Regards

Cath Wade

Director

Healthcare & Infection Prevention

Of Tozer, Jennifer (Health)
control issue

Can any of the ACIPC members please provide me with information around
laundry chutes in the health care setting around issues from an infection
control perspective . Also I would be very grateful if anyone could direct
me towards literature around this topic of: laundry chutes and if they are
deemed an infection control issue or not.

Thank you for your assistance

Jennifer K Tozer

BArts Anthro,RN,MHN,IC cert

Infection Prevention & Control Coordinator

Central and Northern Adelaide Local Health Networks

CALHN – MHS [Glenside Campus]

NALHN – MHS [Oakden and James Nash House Campuses]

Telephone (08) 7425 6237 Facsimile (08) 7425 6208 Mobile 0423 782
171

Infection Prevention and Control is Everybody’s Business.

email jennifer.tozer@health.sa.gov.au

This email may contain confidential information, which may also be legally
privileged. Only the intended recipient (s) may access, use, distribute or
copy this email. If this email is received in error, please inform me by
return email & delete the original.If there are doubts about the validity of
this message please contact me by phone. It is the recipients responsibility
to check the email and any attachments for viruses.

MESSAGES POSTED TO THIS LIST ARE SOLELY THE OPINION OF THE AUTHOR, AND DO
NOT REPRESENT THE OPINION OF ACIPC.

The use of trade/product/commercial brand names through the list is
discouraged by ACIPC. If you wish to discuss specific reference to products
or services by brand or commercial names, please do this outside the list.

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[Glenys Harrington]

Hi Jennifer,

Im not sure which linen cutes (new or old) you are referring to but here is
what I know:

The new state of the art linen (and waste) chutes based on vacuum technology
look sound from an infection control perspective in that they often have the
following features:

*Air in the system is filtered before being discharged into the
environment
*Air and any odour in the system is prevented from entering the
ward/department areas by:

*airlock
*the vacuum created in the pipe network is under negative pressure

*The interlocking computer controls
*Network of pipes that can be cleaned and sanitised
*Separate transport pipe networks for waste and linen
*At the terminal station/central collection area waste is collected
into a fully enclosed compactor/container
*The system can be modified to meet varying periods of hospital
activity/demand

Such systems have been installed in hospital in other countries and are
supported by current guidelines (i.e. The USA 2010 edition of the FGI
Guidelines for Design and Construction of Health Care Facilities)

Here are some links with images and additional information:

http://www.envacgroup.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automated_Vacuum_Collection

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2013/5/prweb10701601.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?vHgIs1dJ8QJI

Historically waste and/or linen chutes in Australia hospitals have been were
gravity systems. Since the late 90s such systems have not been recommended
for the following reasons:

a) Fire risks

See links to the fire training videos used in hospital settings

o Hospitals dont burn down!

Made by film Australia in 1997 – based on a scenario where a patient
disposes of a lighted cigarette down a laundry chute on the 8th floor of the
hospital

*http://www.youtube.com/watch?vYXaqN5pCl3Q

o Hartford hospital fire 1961

*Based on a true story where a patient disposes of a cigarette into a
laundry/waste chute on the 8th floor of the hospital
*http://keyeslifesafety.com/tag/hospital-fires/

b) Occupational Health and Safety risks relating to:

i.
Lifting linen and waste bags

ii.
Exposure to blood or body fluids from leaking or split waste bags

Where I previously worked gravity linen and waste chutes, which had been in
place since 1975, were decommissioned in the late 90s due to Occupational
Health and Safety issues including the following:

*Linen bags were too heavy to lift into the linen chute inlet
*Linen bags became stuck in the linen chute
*Waste bags were splitting in the waste chute and on impact in the
terminal collection container resulting in spillage of blood and/or body
fluids
*The waste chute was not able to be adequately cleaned following a
spill in the chute

Some Australian infection control and other healthcare personnel will be
familiar with gravity chute systems (those working in the 70s, 80s &
90s) however many may not be aware of automated waste and linen collection
system which are based on vacuum technology.

Australian Standards Handbook (HB) 260- 2003

HB 260-2003 was first published in March 2003. As outlined in the forward of
the handbook the aim was to provide information that would assist in the
reduction of the risk of transmission of infectious diseases and multidrug
resistant organisms.

Since March 2003 there has not been a periodic review of the handbook or the
release of new standards or amendments in the intervening years.

The handbook states that chutes (linen and waste) can propel airborne
contaminates throughout the facility and that chutes should not be
incorporated in design features for the management or transfer of waste or
linen in healthcare facilities.

The comment and recommendations are not referenced and handbook only
includes a bibliography.

The comment in relation to propelling airborne contaminates throughout the
facility may have come from the Healthcare Infection Control Practices
Advisory Committee (HICPAC), Draft guidelines for environmental infection
control in healthcare facilities, 2001 which is included in the
bibliography.

On review of the final version of these guidelines which was published in
20041 it states the following in relation to laundry chutes:

Contaminated textiles and fabrics in bags can be transported by cart or
chute. Laundry chutes require proper design, maintenance, and use, because
the piston-like action of a laundry bag traveling in the chute can propel
airborne microbial contaminants throughout the facility. Laundry chutes
should be maintained under negative air pressure to prevent the spread of
microorganisms from floor to floor. Loose, contaminated pieces of laundry
should not be tossed into chutes, and laundry bags should be closed or
otherwise secured to prevent the contents from falling out into the chute.

The main references for statement relating to airborne microbial
contaminants2, 3 were published in 1964 and 1965.

In the early 60s waste and linen collection system based on vacuum
technology were in their initial stages of development and use. In addition
the references also pre-date many hospital vacuum system instillations that
have occurred in subsequent years.

Given the date of HB260-2003 and the references in the CDC HICPAC 2004
guidelines it is likely that such comments and recommendations relate to
gravity chute systems not systems based on vacuum technology. Hence HB
260-2003 may not be current.

I have included the references below:

Reference

1.Sehulster LM, et al. Guidelines for environmental infection control
in health-care facilities. Recommendations from the US department of Health
and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the
Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC). Chicago
IL; American Society for Healthcare Engineering/American Hospital
Association; 2004)

2.Hughes HG. Chutes in hospitals. Can Hosp 1964; 41:567

3.Michaelsen GS. Designing linen chutes to reduce spread of infectious
organisms. Hospitals JAHA 1965; 39 (3):1169).

Regards

Glenys

Glenys Harrington

Consultant

Infection Control Consultancy (ICC)

PO Box 5202

Middle Park

Victoria, 3206

Australia

H: +61 3 96902216

M: +61 404 816 434

infexion@ozemail.com.au

ABN 47533508426

Of Cath Wade
chutes in hospitals as infection control issue

Chutes are not recommended as per Australian Standards HB 260-2003: Hospital
Acquired Infections Engineering down the risks. Section 3.2 part (o)

The CDC Guidelines for Environmental Infection Control in Health-Care
Facilities also has information regarding laundry chutes.

Both documents contain similar information regarding the spread of airborne
contaminants from laundry chutes. Special design considerations must be
taken into account if used e.g. negative pressure.

There are also problems with cleaning it is very difficult to clean chute.

Regards

Cath Wade

Director

Healthcare & Infection Prevention

Of Tozer, Jennifer (Health)
control issue

Can any of the ACIPC members please provide me with information around
laundry chutes in the health care setting around issues from an infection
control perspective . Also I would be very grateful if anyone could direct
me towards literature around this topic of: laundry chutes and if they are
deemed an infection control issue or not.

Thank you for your assistance

Jennifer K Tozer

BArts Anthro,RN,MHN,IC cert

Infection Prevention & Control Coordinator

Central and Northern Adelaide Local Health Networks

CALHN – MHS [Glenside Campus]

NALHN – MHS [Oakden and James Nash House Campuses]

Telephone (08) 7425 6237 Facsimile (08) 7425 6208 Mobile 0423 782
171

Infection Prevention and Control is Everybodys Business.

email jennifer.tozer@health.sa.gov.au

This email may contain confidential information, which may also be legally
privileged. Only the intended recipient (s) may access, use, distribute or
copy this email. If this email is received in error, please inform me by
return email & delete the original.If there are doubts about the validity of
this message please contact me by phone. It is the recipients responsibility
to check the email and any attachments for viruses.

MESSAGES POSTED TO THIS LIST ARE SOLELY THE OPINION OF THE AUTHOR, AND DO
NOT REPRESENT THE OPINION OF ACIPC.

The use of trade/product/commercial brand names through the list is
discouraged by ACIPC. If you wish to discuss specific reference to products
or services by brand or commercial names, please do this outside the list.

Archive of all messages are available at http://aicalist.org.au/archives –
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MESSAGES POSTED TO THIS LIST ARE SOLELY THE OPINION OF THE AUTHOR, AND DO
NOT REPRESENT THE OPINION OF ACIPC.

The use of trade/product/commercial brand names through the list is
discouraged by ACIPC. If you wish to discuss specific reference to products
or services by brand or commercial names, please do this outside the list.

Archive of all messages are available at http://aicalist.org.au/archives –
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message send an email to aicalist@aicalist.org.au

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the quotes) to listserv@aicalist.org.au

MESSAGES POSTED TO THIS LIST ARE SOLELY THE OPINION OF THE AUTHOR, AND DO NOT REPRESENT THE OPINION OF ACIPC.

The use of trade/product/commercial brand names through the list is discouraged by ACIPC. If you wish to discuss specific reference to products or services by brand or commercial names, please do this outside the list.

Archive of all messages are available at http://aicalist.org.au/archives – registration and login required.

Replies to this message will be directed back to the list. To create a new message send an email to aicalist@aicalist.org.au

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