Cedar Rapids, IA -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/19/2015 -- Last month, Infection Control Today released a special report entitled "Imperatives for Staying OSHA-Compliant in the Healthcare Laundry." The report, written by Kelly M. Pyrek, detailed a recent violation of standards by a New York City-based laundry facility that jeopardized the health and safety of its employees with subpar laundry handling practices. The report also outlined OSHA's imperatives for handling contaminated laundry. ImageFIRST Cedar Rapids, an OSHA-compliant linen laundry service specializing in the healthcare market, has shared the report to illustrate the importance of proper laundry handling practices.

As the story of the New York City facility demonstrates, improper handling of healthcare laundry can be potentially disastrous. OSHA found that the facility, in an attempt to reduce costs, had replaced sturdy laundry bags with flimsy ones. As a result, employees ran the risk of exposure to linen contaminated with bloodborne pathogens. In addition, OSHA noted that the facility did not follow other important guidelines for employee safety. All of these poor practices created an environment in which both employees and patients were at risk for pathogen exposure.

The report concluded with OSHA's imperatives for handling contaminated medical laundry, all of which are designed to minimize pathogen exposure for laundry handlers, as well as patients and medical facility staff. The organization requires that compliant laundry facilities reduce the risk of pathogen exposure by bagging laundry on-site in a leak-proof and clearly labeled container. The labeling system must either be universally understood by all laundry handlers or be clearly marked with red coloring or a biohazard symbol. Furthermore, laundry handlers must take care to limit their exposure to uncontained laundry and should not hold laundry bags close to the body in order to prevent accidental exposure to sharps.

As an OSHA-compliant medical laundry service, ImageFIRST Cedar Rapids follows the above regulations and maintains a culture of safety, in which both employee well-being and patient health are prioritized. ImageFIRST's Customer Advocates, dedicated associates who provide support for their designated facility, follow proper procedures for handling laundry. Furthermore, each linen or garment laundered by ImageFIRST undergoes a Triple BioShield protection process, which kills 99.999% of biocontaminants so that each linen is sanitized. Each garment also undergoes a five-point inspection to ensure quality.

To learn more about ImageFIRST's remarkable commitment to patient health and safety, visit
http://cedar-rapids.imagefirst.com

About ImageFIRST
Founded in 1967, ImageFIRST is the largest and fastest growing national linen rental and laundry service specializing in the outpatient medical market. ImageFIRST's 36 locations nationwide serve over 5,500 medical offices every week, providing linen, patient gowns, scrubs and much more while partnering with facilities to better manage linen inventory. With a customer retention rate of over 95%, ImageFIRST is dedicated to improving patient satisfaction through quality linens and remarkable service: their Comfort Care gowns product line increases patients' favorable perception of a facility by more than 50%.

For more information about ImageFIRST Cedar Rapids, the cost-effective solution for greater patient satisfaction, please visit
http://cedar-rapids.imagefirst.com