What you should NOT be keeping in your Sluice Room

The sluice room plays a vital role in infection control, serving as a dedicated space for safely disposing of human waste. However, its effectiveness hinges on strict adherence to protocols, and that includes what you shouldn’t keep in there. A disorganised or improperly used sluice room can quickly become a hotbed for bacteria, damaging your efforts to maintain a clean and safe environment that prevents the spread of infections.

Below is a list of items that you should NOT be keeping in your sluice room:

Clean Items

Avoid storing clean linens, sterilised equipment, or fresh supplies in your sluice room (dirty utility room). These should be kept in a designated clean storage area that is free from bacteria and pathogens. Mixing clean and dirty items within the same room can pose a significant risk for cross-contamination. 

Personal Possessions

Do not keep personal items in the sluice room. For example, mobile phones are notorious for harbouring germs and spreading infections. Bringing them into an area designed for handling contaminated waste is an open invitation for cross-contamination. Imagine the bacteria from soiled items hitching a ride on your phone, only to be transferred to your face, hands, or other clean surfaces within the healthcare facility.

Contamination

Ensure that the sluice room (dirty utility room) remains dedicated to dirty items and that nothing enters or leaves the room that could contaminate any clean areas within your healthcare facility. This strict separation is your first line of defence against the spread of harmful bacteria and microorganisms.

Unnecessary Clutter

A cluttered sluice room isn’t just an eyesore; it’s a hazard. Unnecessary clutter can create hidden areas where bacteria can easily hide and thrive. These inaccessible areas become challenging to clean, making effective decontamination impossible. The clutter can also obstruct access, creating trip hazards and making it difficult for staff to manoeuvre soiled items safely. Keep the area clear, organised, and free from anything that isn’t essential for its function.

Food or Drink

This should go without saying, but it’s worth reiterating: never, under any circumstances, bring food or drink into the sluice room. This area is a high-risk environment for contamination. Consuming anything in this space could lead to ingestion of harmful pathogens, posing a serious health risk.

By adhering to these simple guidelines, you can ensure your sluice room remains a highly effective tool in your infection control strategy, rather than becoming a source of contamination. If you would like sluice room advice, contact our experts today for a confidential chat or to book in a free site survey.