My New Laundry Plant

[sudsman]

There is no time for metal detector.

The most sharps are so small that they would not be picked up anyway.. A good washman knows what to watch for and good sorting room attendant is priceless. Most damage is not done in extract but in washing with the items falling on the sharps. That is why O R and ER nurses are to keep count of all sharps before during and after surgery. Most have log sheets they must sign off on.. but still some get past. Just a part of it. Actually really get more sharps from Hotel work than hospital work. Razors and blades and glass. and some needles too. Drugs are not limited to hospitals anymore. There is NO limit to what we find in hotel work.. From the expected to the embarssing, it all comes with hotel work. Over the years there is VERY little you can name that I have not found in hotel work, Condoms, sextoys, pills, drugs, glasses, dentures, artifical hands, legs, feet, gloves, eyepatches & covers, every piece of clothing there is, female products, food, cups, saucers, silverware, billfolds,pocketbooks. Guns, kinfes, bullets, I could go on and on..

 

[laundrynut]

You should write a book

You can name it "Laundry Treasures." Talk about airing dirty laundry. Some of that sounds pretty gross!

 

[launderess]

Sharps, Instruments and

Other OR equipment is not only counted and accounted for in terms of laundry, but for a more important reason, to make sure nothing has been left inside a patient.

Scrub and circulating nurses are held accountable for all sponges, swabs, sharps and all other surgical instruments, and such. Swabs and often other items as well are counted out on a board in the OR, once the operation is over, but before the patient is closed up, a count must be taken of unused, used and discarded items, if the count does not total the doctor must be informed and a "hunt" is commenced. If after the hunt the missing item still cannot be accounted for, a patient is often X-rayed in an other attempt to locate the missing item. Should this fail to produce results, the head nurse (and often supervisor and DON) are informed at once, if they have not been already.

 

[laundrynut]

Can you imagine

After performing surgery, the surgeon is missing his cell phone. No problem. Just call the cell phone and see if it rings inside the patient.

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

 

[tolivac]

Holey Moley-sounds like working an industrial laundry is somewhat hazardous for what you find IN the laundry you have to wash.Industrial laundry operators should get hazard pay-sounds like you get as many foreign objects to "wash" as laundry!Maybe you should open some sort of thrift store selling some of the stuff you find-the motel laundry sounds much more dangerous than the hospitals.Guns,ammo, in their laundy?strike a deal with the gunshop for the ones you find.Yes I have heard of surgeons leaving "tools" in patients!maybe the check lists should be refined.At where I work leaving tools in the transmitters is common-some times harmless-but other times-and aroesol cleaner cans can explode from the induced RF.

 

[sudsman]

Rex

Guns ammo and knifes are all turned over to PD. they get so much from hotels that they have a dept just for it..The better items billfolds nice (very nice) watches (rolex ect ) nice expensive shoes handbags, diamond rings ect we auction to employees usually for about 1% of the acutal cost.. I use the money then for the Birthday club.. where we buy a cake for each ones birthday.. And they get a % of the money. to keep them turning items in. The finder gets a gold star on the lost and found board. When he gets 10 they get 100.00 . needless to say they make sure they turn in everything they find.If it is a real valueable they get a chance in the drawing pot @ 1000.00 works out well and gives employees some fun too. I bought a rolex watch and gave it to a friend for 50.00 . I will not wear such as I beleive it makes one more prone to be a crime satastic. Esp. in this area where crime runs wild in the streets. I keep items in lock down for 60 days and when no one claims them it is auction time. Very very rarely do any items get claimed. Most are from wealthy who just file insurance claims and get a new one.. A lot are left just for that reason so the can file a claim and get a new item.to replace the one they"lost"

 

[laundrynut]

Sudsman,

You said you prefer to use powdered products in your plant. Are there automatic injection systems for powdered detergents, bleach, softener, etc.? Or do you have to manually add them to a dispenser on the washer itself for each load? I’ve seen the systems for solid product injection, but never noticed one for powders.

The reason I’m asking is: Powdered chlorine bleach can take your breath away if you get even a small whiff while handling it. Too big of a whiff and it can really ruin your day. What type of procedures to you have in place at your plant for handling materials like powdered chlorine bleach? Aprons, goggles, gloves, respirator, etc.?

It’s sort of a good thing that it has such a strong odor. It lets you know if you’re getting too close.

 

[sudsman]

I use both

It depends on the load and soil content. I like to use some dry bleach on the patient gowns as it is not that agressive on the colors and yeilds a good clean load. All commerical machines have dry injectors on them. At one time that is all there was. Different mfgs. do it differently. some have a "dump" cup that dumps the chemical right into the fill water. some have cups that are rinsed out as the machine fills Some have cups that are spray rinsed. I have never had the need to use any speical percautions for dry bleach. Have never had a problem with ones wanting to sniff it. If it is putting off a strong chlorine odor that shows it needs to be stored in a cooler location the bleach is acting. The area where I store all the dry chemicals is a highly vented hi air movement area. Even on the heaviest soil loads only 6oz is all that is needed for a 125/lb load. In the home style machines all we use is 1/2 teaspoon if the load is really bad. Otherwise 1/4 teaspoon does a good job for us.. But I do use STTP when using dry bleach. 4 oz per 100 wt. 1/4 teaspoon in home style machines.

 

[laundrynut]

Always learning something new

Didn't know about the temperature of the room affecting the amount of chlorine odor. Will keep that in mind. Haven't been "sniffing" any bleach lately -- LOL.

The follow-up question to the dry chem injectors is: How does the chemical get to the cups? Does the machine have storage bins that dispense the proper amount of chemical to the cups? Or, does someone fill the cups before each load?

 

[sudsman]

The washman fills all the cups before starting the machine

most can use liquid or dry products Will take a pic of the one on the edro it is for liquid or powders supplies. And is the flush cup type. Humidity will also effect dry bleach it needs to be kept tightly closed.

 

[sudsman]

Edro Dyna Wash

can be used with or with out cups the the last cup is being used for liquid softner the rest dry. They flush in when programmer calls

 

[sudsman]

125/lb Speed Queen

uses cups and flush system.

 

[sudsman]

After a full day they have to be cleaned

a good hosing down has to be done anyway

 

[laundrynut]

Thanks for the pics

and explanations. Those cups in the photos are looking a little nasty.

 

[sudsman]

This is another type of injector

A flush tray type for liquid or powders

 

[sudsman]

looking into the flush tray

this style of flush tray is widely used.

 

[laundrynut]

Those are some big cups

Just one of them probably holds more detergent than I use in a month.

I've seen pictures of a liquid injection system with what looks like a central chemical dispenser with lines running to individual machines. As many as 12 injection ports per machine. Would that be for plants that run multiple types of loads out of one or two machines?

 

[suburbanmd]

Central chemical dispenser

I saw a setup like that in the laundry facilities of the new county jail, on a tour before it opened. This way the inmates can operate the machines, but don't have access to the chemicals, which are in a separate locked room.

 

[sudsman]

The inmates dont have acess to the liquids here either.

they are in a seperate LOCKED room behind the washers.

 

[laundrynut]

inmates?

at a hospital?