What is a sluice room and what are the requirements for having one?
What is a sluice room and what are the requirements for having one?
A sluice room is a closed area found in hospitals and care homes where human waste can be disposed of safely and efficiently. A properly planned and equipped sluice room prevents the spread of infection.
In this guide, we’ll detail exactly what a sluice room is and the latest sluice room requirements and tips.
What is a sluice room?
A sluice room (which some people refer to as a dirty utility room), is a closed room found in healthcare facilities such as hospitals and nursing homes. Sluice rooms are specifically designed for the disposal of human waste products and the disinfection of associated items, such as linens.
The main aim of a sluice room is to ensure that human waste is disposed of as quickly and efficiently as possible with minimal human contact, following the best possible hygiene protocols and recommended infection control and prevention guidelines.
Sluice room requirements and tips
As human waste products such as urine, vomit and faecal matter can be infectious, it’s vitally important that sluice rooms are planned carefully. By doing so, healthcare professionals can ensure that all waste is disposed of safely and that the risk of cross contamination is minimised.
All sluice rooms should be designed with infection prevention in mind. Due to this, sluice rooms are usually divided into two areas. One of these is for ‘dirty’ activities and the other is for ‘clean’ activities. Thanks to this set up, new and cleaned products such as bedpans and wipes will be stored in a clean storage area, away from any ‘dirty’ activities where they could become contaminated.
However, as well as being designed in this way, it’s crucial that sluice rooms are used in the way they’re intended to be. If staff members do not use a sluice room correctly, then cross contamination could occur and others will be at risk of infection.
As a direct result of this, healthcare professionals must put guidelines in place for staff members in the healthcare facility to follow. These guidelines should include:
- Procedures for how waste should be disposed of
- Effective hand washing procedures
- How the sluice room should be cleaned and disinfected
All these procedures are crucial for ensuring a safe environment that is free from infection.
What pieces of equipment are required in a sluice room?
Essential sluice room items should include:
- Compliant cleaning and thermal disinfection appliances
- Stainless steel hand basin with either wrist, elbow or sensor taps
- Liquid soap dispenser
- Paper towel dispenser
- Dispenser for hand disinfection
- Wall-mounted rack for the temporary storage of cleaned utensils
- Waste bin
- Macerators
Ideally, a sluice room should also contain:
- Deep stainless steel sink
- Stainless steel storage cupboards – wall-mounted and floor-standing units incorporating stainless steel work surfaces
- Multi-washer
If you’re designing a sluice room and you’re unsure what equipment you need to guarantee disinfection, then contact our experts today. Our knowledgeable and experienced experts can explain everything you need to know about infection control and the equipment you need. Alternatively, if you’d like to learn more about sluice room requirements, download our step by step guide to regulations in laundries and sluice rooms.
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