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Revised -XO\ <br />Department Policy: <br />•Laundry contaminated with blood or OPIM shall be handled as little as possible. <br />•Personnel should remove clothing as soon as possible after contamination <br />occurs. For this reason, all personnel are required to bring a second uniform to <br />work. <br />•Contaminated clothing should be placed into a labeled, leak-proof container for <br />transport to the unit’s primary station. A biohazard bag is preferred for this <br />activity. <br />•All contaminated laundry can be washed at either EMS station 1 or 2. Under no <br />circumstance should contaminated clothing be taken to a private residence and <br />washed. <br />•Contaminated clothing and bunker gear may be washed at the individual fire <br />departments, per individual protocol. Care should be taken to follow all <br />manufacturers recommendations regarding decontaminating bunker gear. <br />Certain common cleaning chemicals may degrade bunker gear and not damage <br />other clothing. <br />•Personnel shall utilize appropriate PPE and remove the contaminated clothing <br />from the container. Gross contaminates shall be removed and placed in a <br />biohazard container along with the transport container used. <br />•Care shall be given in assessing the type of clothing fabric and recommended <br />washing procedures. Do Not wash any type of fabric against the manufacturers’ <br />recommendation / cleaning guidelines. <br />•The contaminated clothing shall be placed in the washing machine with care <br />given so as not to contaminate the outside of the washing machine. <br />•Personnel should remove any contaminated PPE and dispose of in a biohazard <br />container. <br />•Personnel should add the appropriate type and amount of laundry detergent to <br />the wash based on the manufacturer’s directions. Care shall be taken to avoid <br />contact with the contaminated clothing at this time. Non-chlorine bleach may <br />also be added if desired. <br />•Personnel should close and start the washing machine as per manufacturer’s <br />instructions for the load size and amount of clothing. The heavy soil setting is <br />preferred with a warm water wash and cold rinse. <br />•Once the wash cycle is complete, the clothing can be removed and placed in a <br />dryer and dried according to the type of fabric and size of load. <br />•If the exterior of the washing machine was contaminated, it should be <br />decontaminated using standard decontamination procedures during the wash <br />cycle so as not to re-contaminate the clothing on removal. <br />Orange County Emergency Services <br />Exposure Control Policy <br />Laundry Procedure <br />DocuSign Envelope ID: 79C5D167-B6CA-4E59-B4AC-AA38CC1B20BD