Hospital Cleaning Regulations and Compliance: What You Need to Know

People visit the hospital to get well. However, hospitals can also be the place where you catch a new disease. The prevalence of hospital-associated infections (HAIs) in Australia is 9.9%. This has led to authorities considering HAIs as an epidemic. Poor hospital hygiene is one of the major causes of this incident. So, authorities have established certain hospital cleaning regulations and compliance. All healthcare facilities must follow these hospital sanitation rules. They cover everything from disinfectant use to cleaning staff training. These standard and transmission-based precautions ensure patient safety. Plus, they play a vital role in nationwide infection control. Also, a facility may face legal consequences if it lacks regulatory compliance.

Top 3 Health Service Standards In Australia

Hospitals must be aware of the major health standards to stay compliant. These standards originate from evidence-based research. Their purpose is infection prevention in hospitals and the country. Plus, they provide a common framework for healthcare professionals.

National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards

The NSQHS is the epitome of health service standards in Australia. It has two goals. Protecting the public and ensuring quality healthcare. For that, the NSQHS defines a detailed list of requirements. All healthcare facilities must fulfil them. Cleaning compliance is an important part of it.

The NSQHS demands hospitals to follow proper hygiene and cleaning protocols. It holds them accountable for the cleanliness of the healthcare environment.

NSQHS also has various infection control programs. For instance, the Preventing and Controlling Infections Standard. Clinical governance and transmission-based precautions are two key components of this program.

Australian Guidelines for the Prevention and Control of Infection in Healthcare

The above is part of the broader Australian healthcare guidelines. These public health regulations guide various core aspects. For example, hand hygiene, PPE and priority areas in a hospital. Hospitals must adhere to these guidelines to pass cleaning audits.

Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA)

The TGA standards don’t have a direct focus on cleanliness. It’s concerned with medicines and medical devices. Yet, the TGA does define rules for cleaning these devices. Also, Australian hospitals can only use cleaning products the TGA recommends. Thus, the standards have an indirect effect on hospital sanitation.

Disinfectant Use and Cleaning Protocols for Hospitals

The health authorities have set cleaning protocols for hospitals. This provides a guideline for their hygiene practices. For instance, the cleaning frequency and target areas. It also regulates the detergents and disinfectants hospitals can use.

General Cleaning Protocols

• Hospitals must follow a regular cleaning schedule. Operation theatres and Intensive Care Units are priority areas. They need cleaning many times a day. Low-risk areas need less frequent cleaning. Still, once daily for busy facilities.
• Maintain reusable cleaning equipment per their manufacturer’s instructions. The same applies to the disposal of single-use equipment.
• Cleaning equipment is not only for cleaning staff. Health Workers must also have access to them. This ensures cleanliness even in the absence of the normal staff.
• Colour code cleaning equipment per their area of use. There are five colour codes. For instance, Yellow is for infectious areas. Meanwhile, White is for OTs. Red coded equipment is for the toilets. Use colour-coded equipment in their respective areas only. This is mandatory for infection control.
• Hospitals should aim for the least environmental impact when cleaning. So, reduce waste and water-energy usage.
• Wipe up small spills (<10 cm) with an absorbent material immediately. The spill might be blood or something similar. You can use paper towels to wipe it up.
• Contain larger spills (>10cm) with paper towels first. You can clean it up once it’s confined.
• Start from high when cleaning. Go from clean to dirty. Follow an S-shape pattern for wiping.
• Steam or dry clean soiled furnishings. Vacuum clean carpets with a HEPA filter.

Use of Detergents and Disinfectants

• Don’t use disinfectants for general cleaning. A neutral detergent and water will be fine. Unrestricted disinfectant use causes antimicrobial resistance.
• Use disinfectants in routine cleaning only in high-risk areas. You can also do so when there has been an outbreak. Toilets and terminal cleaning need disinfectants too.
• Hospitals can only use disinfectants the Therapeutic Goods Administration approves. They should be on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods. Hydrogen peroxide is a good example. Hospitals can also use bleach.
• You will apply the disinfectant exactly as the manufacturer says. The label might describe certain capacities for use. Your hospital must have those. 
• The product might have cleaning equipment and PPE requirements. You must provide them to your cleaning staff. They should also have access to the disinfectant’s safety data sheet.
• Never mix multiple cleaning products. You should even avoid topping up the same solutions. These can lead to undesired chemical reactions.
• Don’t apply surface disinfectants on electronic devices. Only use products their manufacturer recommends.

Surface Disinfection

There are some surfaces which patients and staff touch too often. For example, door knobs, lightswitch and bed rails. These are high-touch surfaces. They are at the highest risk of contamination. So, hospitals need to clean them most frequently.

In contrast, people don’t touch the walls or ceilings that much. So, the cleaning frequency for these low-touch surfaces is much less.

Priority Areas

The OT, ICU and isolation units are extreme risk areas. Patients here often have deadly infections. Or, they might have comorbidities and low immunity. Sometimes they go through invasive procedures. As a result, the transmission risk is highest. So, rigorous cleaning with disinfectants is mandatory in these areas.

Meanwhile, the Outpatient Department, pharmacy and non-emergency vehicles are medium-risk areas. Administrative offices are the lowest risk areas. So, the cleaning protocols are much more relaxed here. These rules can change during a pandemic or outbreak.

Hospital Cleaning Staff Training

The NSQHS puts much emphasis on cleaning staff training. They must have proper knowledge of disinfection. For instance, the significance of different surfaces and areas. Hospitals should also train them on the proper use of cleaning equipment. Sound knowledge of detergents and disinfectants is also mandatory.

Workplace health and safety is crucial. So, the staff must know how to safely dispose of risky waste. These include contaminated needles, broken glass or spills.

All cleaning staff need training on personal protective equipment (PPE). They must be familiar with the items. These are the gloves, mask, goggles and gown. The hospital should teach them the correct PPE donning and doffing technique. They must also learn the proper maintenance of PPE.

Another important topic is hand hygiene protocols. This is different from normal hand washing. The staff must know which areas of the hand to clean and the duration. They will be performing the hand hygiene routine as much as 100 times per shift.

Environmental Cleaning Auditing For Hospitals

Your hospital is safe for patients if it passes the environmental audits. It tells the authorities that you comply with the Standards. Meanwhile, failure can result in fines or other penalties. It might also ruin your hospital’s reputation.

An auditor visually inspects the facility’s condition to make a decision. Their trained eye will detect any apparent cleanliness issues. They might also take objective measures to assess infection risk. For example, fluorescent gel markers and ATP bioluminescence. They will check the following-

During an environmental cleaning audit in Australian hospitals, the auditor will check these:

• The cleaning protocols your staff follow. They expect them to follow established routine and terminal cleaning procedures. The auditor will check whether there is clear documentation for the cleaning protocols.
• Your cleaning products are TGA-listed. They will check if your staff has the proper safety training to use them.
• The condition of your mops, vacuum cleaner, scrubbers and other equipment.
• Adequate cleaning of high-touch surfaces and priority areas
• Proper PPE usage and hand hygiene protocols.
• Well-maintained cleaning logs and records of regular audits.

Final Words

There are almost 165,000 HAIs in Australian hospitals each year. Adhering to the cleaning standards can reduce this number. Plus, a clean hospital gives the public more confidence in your services. So, they are more likely to choose your facility during their time of need. However, the health standards are quite extensive. It might be difficult to keep track of them all. Holy Cross services can help you here. Our experts are well-versed in hospital cleaning protocols. They can deliver services while maintaining the privacy of your patients. We’ve been doing this for more than 130 years. So, you can rely on our services without hesitation. Contact us today.