Certified processing of cleanroom clothing

The ALSCO Workwear Service GmbH, as the first cleanroom laundry, receives the wfk Seal for Textile Hygiene and thus meets the requirements of VDI 2083 Part 18 for the processing of cleanroom clothing. VDI 2083 Part 18 was published in January 2012 and provides guidance on planning, generating, maintaining,
restoring, and demonstrating the necessary hygienic production environment as well as room air technical components in clean and hygienically critical areas.

Since humans are often the most critical factor in cleanrooms regarding biological particles, cleanroom clothing forms an important barrier to protect the cleanroom environment. Therefore, it must be in a fully functional condition, but also must not contain or release significant amounts of microorganisms. The new VDI 2083 Part 18 describes a procedure to hygienically process
cleanroom clothing. This procedure is based on a process- and product-oriented risk analysis and should, for example, be carried out in a contract laundry. The VDI standard also states that relevant standards such as the RABC system (EN 14065) must be observed for quality assurance and good textile handling practices concerning biocontamination. This adequate validated cleaning and/or disinfection is also a fundamental prerequisite for the sterilization of textiles.

Certified Quality

The ALSCO cleanroom laundry in Dresden underwent extensive microbiological controls and an audit of the hygiene management system according to EN 14065 on September 18 and successfully passed the initial audit for the wfk Seal for Textile Hygiene. “In recent years, ALSCO GmbH has already impressed in the cleanroom sector through a nationwide logistics network, comprehensive support, and customized complete solutions,” says Steffen Wolf, Head of the Cleanroom Cost Center. “The excellent overall result of the Dresden operation, which corresponds to a very high level of hygiene, confirms our excellent processing and provision of hygienically adequate cleanroom clothing.”

New Hygiene Control Procedure

The wfk Seal for Textile Hygiene is a certification for laundries based on the requirements of VDI 2083 Part 18 and EN 14065 for textile processing. However, it goes beyond the requirements of EN 14065 by defining specific microbiological criteria, quantitatively evaluating the hygiene management system, and requiring a foreign body management system. The seal is awarded by the wfk Institute in Krefeld. As part of the inspection, for example, swab samples are taken from moist and dry textiles, various laundry-related surfaces, and the hands of laundry personnel. Additionally, water samples (freshwater and rinse water from washing processes) are microbiologically tested, and the microbial load of the air is determined. Special attention is paid to testing the disinfectant effect of the washing processes, which are examined on-site using standardized bioindicators and process parameter tests. Another special feature of the wfk Seal for Textile Hygiene is the requirement for a foreign body management system in the production area of the processing plant. This ensures that regulations, measures, and documentation are in place to guarantee the absence of foreign bodies in the cleanroom textiles.

Another proof of the excellent work in the four ALSCO cleanrooms in Dresden and Regensburg is the renewed outstanding certifications of two cleanrooms according to ISO Class 3 and two cleanrooms according to ISO Class 4. ALSCO can thus offer cleanrooms of this high standard in Germany as the only service provider.