ALEXANDRIA, Va. — October 16, 2020 — Dempsey Uniform and Linen Supply Inc. of Jessup, Pa., has recently qualified for renewals of both the Hygienically Clean Healthcare and Hygienically Clean Food Service certifications. These certifications reflect Dempsey’s consistent commitment to best management practices (BMPs) in laundering as verified by on-site inspection and its capability to produce hygienically clean textiles as quantified by ongoing microbial testing. The Jessup location also holds the Hygienically Clean Food Safety certification as well as the TRSA Clean Green certification, which recognizes environmental stewardship in commercial laundries.
Originally earned in 2017, the renewals of the Hygienically Clean Healthcare and Hygienically Clean Food Service certifications confirm the laundry’s continuing dedication to infection prevention, compliance with recognized industry standards and processing healthcare textiles using BMPs as described in its quality assurance documentation, a focal point for Hygienically Clean inspectors’ evaluation. The independent, third-party inspection must also confirm essential evidence that:
- Employees are properly trained and protected;
- Managers understand regulatory requirements;
- OSHA-compliant; and
- Physical plant operates effectively.
To achieve certification initially, laundries must pass three rounds of outcome-based microbial testing, indicating that their processes are producing, in this case, Hygienically Clean Healthcare and Food Service textiles with diminished presence of yeast, mold and harmful bacteria. They also must pass facility inspections. To maintain certification, quarterly testing is mandatory to ensure that as laundry conditions such as water quality, textile fabric composition and wash chemistry change, their laundered product quality is consistently maintained. This process eliminates subjectivity by focusing on outcomes and results that verify textiles cleaned in these facilities meet appropriate hygienically clean standards and BMPs.
For Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification:
- Hospitals, surgery centers, medical offices, nursing homes and other medical facilities can know that the certified laundry is effective in helping to protect healthcare operations by verifying quality control procedures in linen, uniform and facility services operations related to the handling of textiles containing blood and other potentially infectious materials:
- Hygienically Clean certified laundries use processes, chemicals and BMPs acknowledged by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, American National Standards Institute and others. Introduced in 2012, Hygienically Clean Healthcare brought to North America the international cleanliness standards for healthcare linens and garments used worldwide by the Certification Association for Professional Textile Services and the European Committee for Standardization.
- Objective experts in epidemiology, infection control, nursing and other healthcare professions work with Hygienically Clean launderers to ensure the certification continues to enforce the highest standards for producing clean healthcare textiles.
For Hygienically Clean Food Service certification:
- Full- and limited service restaurants and other food service operations can know that the certified laundry is effective in helping to protect their operation by verifying quality control procedures in linen, uniform and facility services operations related to Food Service.
- Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) practices are examined in the Hygienically Clean Food Service inspection process, evaluating the plant’s techniques for:
- Conducting hazard analysis
- Determining CCPs, monitoring their control, correcting them if not under control
- Validating and verifying HACCP system effectiveness
- Documenting and record-keeping to show ongoing conformance
- Inspections also evaluate practices relevant to handling and processing textile products used in food manufacturing/processing establishments for adherence to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) directives. Introduced in January 2016, Hygienically Clean Food Service brought to linen and uniform service laundering in North America the international cleanliness standards used worldwide by the Certification Association for Professional Textile Services and the European Committee for Standardization.
“Congratulations to Dempsey Uniform and Linen Supply on their continued best practices that earn the Hygienically Clean Healthcare and Hygienically Clean Food Service certifications,” said Joseph Ricci, TRSA president and CEO. “Their achievement proves their commitment to infection prevention and that the laundry takes every step possible to prevent human illness.”
Dempsey Uniform and Linen Supply is family-owned and -operated commercial laundry headquartered in northeastern Pennsylvania since 1959. Dempsey now serves clients in six mideastern states and the District of Columbia.
Posted October 16, 2020
Source: TRSA
