Housekeeping and related services including laundry

1. The general acute hospital shall provide the housekeeping and related services necessary to maintain a sanitary and comfortable environment. a. The hospital shall provide personnel to maintain the interior and exterior of the facility in a safe, clean, orderly, and attractive manner. The hospital shall establish, implement, and update consistent with current standards of practice procedures whereby: (1) Housekeeping personnel use accepted practices and procedures to keep the facility free from offensive odors; accumulations of dirt, rubbish, and dust; and safety hazards. (2) Floors are cleaned regularly. Polishes on floors provide a nonslip finish. Throw or scatter rugs are not used, except for nonslip entrance mats. (3) Walls and ceilings are maintained free from cracks and are cleaned and painted as needed. (4) Grounds are kept free from refuse and litter. b. The hospital must be maintained free from insects and rodents. (1) A pest control program must be operated in the hospital. Pest control services must be provided by maintenance personnel of the hospital or by contract with a pest control company. Care must be taken to use the least toxic and least flammable effective insecticides and rodenticides. These compounds must be stored in nonpatient areas and in nonfood preparation and storage areas. Poisons must be locked in cabinets provided for this purpose. (2) Windows and doors, if appropriate, must be screened during the insect breeding season. (3) Harborages and entrances for insects and rodents must be eliminated. (4) Garbage and trash must be stored in appropriately covered containers in areas separate from those used for the preparation and storage of food and must be removed from the premises in a timely manner to avoid infection control problems. c. The hospital shall establish and implement procedures whereby the hospital has available at all times a quantity of linen essential for the proper care and comfort of patients and that linens are handled, stored, and processed so as to control the spread of infection. (1) Clean linen and clothing must be stored in clean, dry, and dust-free areas easily accessible to the patient rooms. (2) Soiled linen must be sorted and stored in well-ventilated areas, separate from other laundry spaces, and may not be permitted to accumulate. Soiled linen and clothing must be stored separately in suitable bags or covered containers. Contaminated and potentially infectious soiled linen must be handled with particular attention to avoid contamination of clean linen. (3) Soiled linen may not be sorted, laundered, rinsed, or stored in bathrooms, patient rooms, kitchens, or food storage areas. (4) When linen is sent to an outside laundry, it must be the responsibility of the hospital to determine that work is done in accordance with approved standards. 2. Primary care hospitals are subject to the housekeeping and related services including laundry requirements for general acute hospitals in this section. 3. Specialized hospitals are subject to the housekeeping and related services including laundry requirements for general acute hospitals in this section.