Current through August 30, 2024
(a) The owner or
operator of a school or shop subject to
18 AAC 23.010(b)
shall ensure that each non-single-use, non-disposable instrument that is
required in this chapter to be cleaned and sterilized is
(1) cleaned either
(A) by hand by
(i) rinsing the instrument in a cold water
rinse to remove visible soil;
(ii)
soaking the instrument in an enzyme pre-soak before cleaning;
(iii) using warm water and an appropriate
detergent;
(iv) rinsing the item
thoroughly; and
(v) inspecting the
instrument carefully for cleanliness and damage; or
(B) mechanically by
(i) rinsing the instrument in a cold water
rinse to remove visible soil;
(ii)
soaking the instrument in an enzyme pre-soak before cleaning; and
(iii) placing the instrument directly into an
ultrasonic cleaner for a 10-minute cycle or as recommended by the
manufacturer;
(2) dried after cleaning and placed in a
sterilization pouch that has either a sterilizer indicator or internal
temperature indicator; and
(3)
sterilized in a sterilizer if a package seal on a sterilization pouch
containing an instrument has been broken, that instrument may not be used until
it is sterilized again.
(b) If a school or shop uses only single-use,
disposable, sterile instruments and products, sterilization in a sterilizer is
not required.
(c) The owner or
operator shall demonstrate that a sterilizer used in the school or shop is
capable of attaining sterilization through a spore destruction test performed
every 30 days. These spore destruction tests must
(1) be conducted using a commercially
prepared biological sterilization process indicator to culture specifically for
Bacillus stearothermophilusfor steam sterilizers or
Bacillus subtilis for dry heat sterilizers; and
(2) be verified
(A) through a laboratory independent of the
school or shop; or
(B) within the
school or shop in accordance with the biological sterilization process
indicator's manufacturer's instructions.
(d) If a laboratory independent of the school
or shop is used to conduct a spore destruction test, the owner or operator must
obtain results of that test within 24 hours after performing the
test.
(e) If the results of a spore
destruction test are positive for the presence of a spore described in (c)(1)
of this section, the owner or operator shall ensure that
(1) any instrument processed in that
sterilizer is not used on clients until the instrument is resterilized using
the procedures in (a) of this section before use; and
(2) the sterilizer is not used until a
negative test result is achieved.
Authority:AS
08.13.030
AS 08.13.120
AS 08.13.210
AS
44.46.020
