Scrubs are most closely associated with the medical industry, where hygiene and cleanliness are perhaps at their most important. Workers will frequently deal with patients who are anxious, vulnerable, and potentially immunocompromised. Dirty scrubs can make what is already a difficult job harder and may also endanger the lives of patients.
Why It’s Essential to Ensure Scrubs Are Clean
By their nature, medical facilities are typically full of health hazards. Sick patients can only stay so clean. Depending on their illness and/or injuries, they may expose the people working with them to bodily fluids and other materials loaded with potentially very hazardous germs. Moreover, it’s often important for workers in this field to look professional and trustworthy, which would be difficult to do if stained in something like blood.
Notable Risks of Dirty Scrubs
It’s important to highlight just why dirty scrubs are a risk that should not be tolerated in a healthcare business, the only real exception to which is in cases of extreme emergency where aid needs to be rendered by a worker immediatelyand they are still dirty. These risks include the following:
The Spread of Biohazardous Materials
Dirty scrubs are a biohazard, potentially quite a severe one depending on whom a person has been working with and the germs they might be carrying. Clothes that are dirtied in this way can and have gotten people very sick and even killed them, with a worker unknowingly carrying germs from one patient to another. In the worst cases, patients who are already immunocompromised or otherwise vulnerable can be exposed to germs that are extremely dangerous to them while that patient is seeking help at your facility.
One should keep in mind that it takes only a very small amount of biohazardous matter to carry disease. Germs are microscopic and can multiply if brought into an area where they can survive. While clean scrubs aren’t the only step needed to stop the spread of germs (with regular cleaning of surfaces and also the use of materials hostile to germs two more effective steps for fighting spread), clean clothes should still be considered an essential part of serving patient needs.
Legal Liability
A healthcare business has many legal obligations to its workers and patients. Exposing people to an obvious, avoidable health risk is in violation of those obligations.
Even if a worker in dirty scrubs isn’t actuallythe reason a particular issue occurs, such as a patient contracting an illness at your facilities, it may be hard to argue such in court. Even worse is if it istrue that the dirty worker got a patient sick. If a lawyer can prove your business allowed someone in dirty scrubs to work with patients, when that is a known and obvious health risk, that case is unlikely to go in your favor.
The specific rules that apply to your business will vary depending on region and your operations. You should also talk with a legal professional if unsure of your obligations to patients and staff. At the same time, it should be taken as a general rule that obvious and avoidablehazards like workers performing duties in unnecessarily dirty scrubs are a major liability.
Interference With Patient Trust
One of the challenges in the medical industry is that patients are often seen when they are in anxious, difficult situations. A business in this field must then work to gain that person’s trust and help them through that anxiety, both for a patient’s mental well-being and to treat them effectively. The perception a business usually wants to generate (and which is typically true) is that their staff are highly trained and professional.
Highly trained and professional individuals are expected to be clean. If a staff member walks into a patient’s room stained in blood or other bodily fluids, it isn’t very surprising that their perception of that staff member might turn more negative. At the very least, it’s likely to heighten their anxiety.
Cleaning Dirty Scrubs
Clothes used in medical settings can suffer from some of the most serious and staining types of dirtying. Mess from things like biohazardous waste must be thoroughlycleaned to counteract the risks of dirty scrubs discussed earlier. Dirty scrubs should be cleaned in very hot water and, despite what might seem intuitive based on the setting names, run in a Normalwash on a washer (the Heavy Duty setting is meant for heavy-duty fabricslike denim).
Due to the importance of effectively washing scrubs, many companies will choose to use the services of companies like us at Alsco. A professional laundry service can help make sure even very dirty clothes that are necessary for work are made clean, neat, and professional for next use.
Rent & Launder Scrubs With Alsco Uniforms
Worker scrubs need to be cleaned regularly, both on a tight schedule and as needed. This helps keep them presentable and ensure patient safety. This should be considered the ethical and legal duty of business. Failing to do so can harm patients and open up a company to massive legal liability. A business should also strongly consider a professional laundry service for this cleaning, as medical mess can be some of the most difficult to effectively clean out of clothes.
If you’re looking for a reliable way to clean your workers’ scrubs, we hope you’ll consider our team at Alsco Uniforms. With years of experience helping clients of many different sizes and operating in a variety of industries, including in healthcare and related fields, we can serve you well. You can learn more about these services here or talk to our team directly.