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Hygienically Clean Advisory Board introduces new testing protocols for Hygienically Clean Certification.
New protocols introduced by the Hygienically Clean Advisory Board for its Hygienically Clean Certification have been reviewed by a third party, independent epidemiologist, and are designed to better ensure quantifiable hygienic outcomes for healthcare linens.
The independent certification program was developed by the Advisory Board in partnership with the Textile Rental Services Association (TRSA). It also includes recommendations for best practices for improved hygienic transportation and storage of clean linens and other textiles by commercial laundry services.
To qualify for Hygienically Clean Certification, facilities must submit two random textiles to an independent, TRSA-approved laboratory for bacteriological testing. The samples must pass testing on three consecutive rounds, and the facility must pass an inspection prior to qualification.
After the qualification process, facilities must pass new regularly scheduled testing protocols to maintain the certification. These protocols include instituting the Replicate Organism Detection and Counting (RODAC) microbiological test. Modeled on European standards, facilities pursuing the Hygienically Clean Certification must now submit to RODAC testing four times per year rather than the previous protocol of twice per year.
Additionally, the Advisory Board has incorporated United States Pharmacopeia (USP) 62 as an additional layer of testing. USP 62 is a recognized testing methodology for seven different microorganisms most commonly found in healthcare environments. Facilities seeking certification will be required to submit to this new, additional layer of testing twice annually.