Housekeeping and Waste Disposal

Handling Contaminated Laundry

Soiled laundry in a non-healthcare setting is not generally covered by the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard. However, employees handling laundry that is soiled or contaminated with blood or other potentially infectious materials should follow the recommendations of the standard, which include:

• Handle soiled linen as little as possible and with minimum agitations, to prevent exposure to the handler
• Facilities that use Universal Precautions for handling all soiled laundry may mark laundry bags or containers, containing contaminated laundry, with an alternative label or color-code provided all employees recognize the containers as requiring compliance with Universal Precautions. If the contaminated laundry is sent off-site for cleaning to a facility which does not use Universal Precautions in the handling of all soiled laundry, it must be placed in a bag or container which is red in color or labeled with the biohazard label.
• When sending soiled linen to an off-site facility for laundering, place and transport the linen in specially marked, leak-proof bags.
• If laundry is washed on-site, ensure individuals performing the laundering are trained and use universal precautions. Wash laundry in accordance with decontamination practices recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Waste Disposal

Regulated waste refers to

• Any liquid or semi-liquid blood or other potentially infectious materials
• Contaminated items that would release blood or other potentially infectious materials in a liquid or semi-liquid state if compressed
• Items that are caked with dried blood or other potentially infectious materials and are capable of releasing these materials during handling
• Contaminated sharps
• Pathological and microbiological wastes containing blood or other potentially infectious materials

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