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Brief glossary of hygiene terminology
Hygieneglossar
BGR 500
Set of rules issued by German occupational
health and safety authorities with the aim
of avoiding accidents at work, occupational
diseases and workplace-related health
risks. These rules bring together and give
precision to other occupational safety
regulations, technical specifications and
experience gained in preventative hazard
control. The operation of laundries and
the equipment used therein is covered by
Section 2.6.
Disinfection
Rendering of materials and objects in a
state in which they generally no longer pose
a risk of infection. In numerical terms, this
is described as the reduction in the titre
count by at least a factor of 100,000. The
most common approaches are thermal
disinfection in which germs are exposed to
moist or dry heat (e.g. 75°C, 90°C or 105°C)
over a defined period of time and chemical
disinfection or a combination of the two.
Disinfectant lists
List of approved and tested disinfectants
and processes (including laundry, hand
and surface disinfection) and the relevant
concentrations and exposure times
to achieve disinfection in a variety of
applications. The most important list is kept
by the Robert Koch Institute in Germany
as the federal body which has been
given overall responsibility for infection
control. This RKI list quotes minimum
concentrations based on the wash liquor
ratio and the range of effectiveness. As
these include very strict criteria which
apply in cases of an outbreak of a notifiable
disease, the list more often used for routine
work is the VAH list issued by the Hospital
Association for Applied Hygiene. A third
list, the DW list, is kept by the German
Association for Combating Viral Illnesses.
HACCP
'Hazard Analysis and Critical Control
Points'. Concept promoting the systematic
identification, assessment and containment
of health risks posed by incorrectly
produced foodstuffs and food spoilage.
Developed in the context of America's
early exploration of outer space and since
successfully implemented in many areas,
this scheme provides the skeletal structure
for the RABC system in laundries.
Hygiene plan
Legislation on infectious diseases
places nursing homes under obligation
to document in-house processes aimed
at hygiene control in writing in the form
of hygiene plans. These should not only
include concrete measures to minimise
risks but also actions aimed at ensuring
that measures are routinely implemented
through regular monitoring as well as
regular revalidation and training.
MRSA
Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus.
Term given to all strains of a species
of bacteria which is resistant to several
antibiotics. First detected in the Sixties.
According to figures issued by the Federal
Institute for Risk Assessment, approximately
1% of the population are carriers of MRSA.
Normally harmless bacteria colonising
skin and mucous membranes which can
cause serious infections such as septicemia
and endocarditis, conditions which are
extremely difficult to treat.
RABC
'Risk Analysis and Biocontamination Control
system'. System aimed at analysing and
controlling biocontamination prescribed
for use in laundries by the DIN EN 14065
'Textiles – Laundry-processed textiles –
Biocontamination control system'.
Robert Koch Institute (RKI)
The Robert Koch Institute is a central
German quasi-governmental organisation
covering bio-medicine. Their main task
is to identify, prevent and protect against
diseases, in particular infectious diseases,
and provide an analysis of the health
situation in Germany.
wfk
wfk Research Institute for Cleaning
Technology, based in Krefeld, Germany.
Founded in 1949, this institute is engaged
in research in many areas of cleaning,
washing, reprocessing and hygiene
and is involved in wording national and
international standards. The services
provided by this organisation include tests
on chemicals, processes and machines and
the provision of test equipment.
Spectrum or effective area
The spectrum of various disinfection
processes is geared to their ability to
deactivate micro-organisms and is
expressed by letters: A – Suitable for
deactivating most vegetative bacteria
including myobacteria and yeasts including
spores; B – Suitable for deactivating viruses;
C – Suitable for deactivating anthrax spores;
D – Suitable for deactivating the spores of
gas gangrene and tetanus (this requires the
use of sterilisation processes in accordance
with the pertinent standards).