USA/CHINA
The Textile Rental Services Association of America (TRSA), the global association for the linen, uniform and facility services industry, has launched the Hygienically Clean Healthcare China certification in Shanghai.
The Chinese version of Hygienically Clean is based on emerging Chinese healthcare laundry guidelines and TRSA’s Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification program, which reflects a laundry’s commitment to best management practices (BMPs) and compliance in processing healthcare linens and garments. Hygienically Clean includes third-party inspection of critical control points and measures the laundry’s capability to produce hygienically clean textiles with ongoing microbial testing.
TRSA chairman David Potack of Unitex, director of industry affairs Bill Mann and president and CEO Joseph Ricci attended the China Healthcare Laundry Association Conference earlier this month to launch the program. The organisations also discussed forging a more co-operative relationship including TRSA membership, translation of healthcare-related resources, and industry benchmarking. Potack presented the development, implementation and growth of Hygienically Clean Healthcare to the nearly 200 Chinese owner/operators attending the conference.
“We are extremely pleased to be partnering with the China Healthcare Laundry Association to develop Hygienically Clean Healthcare China,” Potack said. “TRSA and the China Healthcare Laundry Association will appoint a joint task force to review and develop a Chinese standard that ensures laundries’ compliance with emerging regional guidelines while implementing proven, measureable processes based on quality assurance (QA) documentation, training and independent inspection and testing protocols that align with TRSA’s Hygienically Clean Healthcare.”
Laundries are certified Hygienically Clean only after complying with performance specifications established by the recommended best practices of several global organizations:
• American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
• Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI)
• European Standard (EN 14065) Laundry Processed Textiles - Biocontamination Control System
• German RAL-GZ 992/2 – Quality Hygiene Certificate for Healthcare Linen
• United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• The Joint Commission (TJC) - Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organisations
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
