Louisiana Administrative Code
Title 48 - PUBLIC HEALTH-GENERAL
Part I - General Administration
Subpart 3 - Licensing and Certification
Chapter 93 - Hospitals
Subchapter K - Infection Control
Section I-9429 - Central Supply

A. Space shall be provided for the preparation, storage, handling and distribution of sterile supplies and other patient care items. Functional design shall provide for the separation of soiled and contaminated supplies from those that are clean and sterile. All central supply departments shall adhere to strict traffic control in their departments. Air circulation systems in central supply shall be negative pressure in decontamination and ethylene oxide areas and positive pressure in all clean areas.

B. Hand washing facilities shall be provided in all work areas. There shall be written policies and procedures for the decontamination and sterilization of supplies and equipment, shelf life of all stored sterile items and reuse of disposable items in accordance with the latest criteria established by the Centers for Disease Control.

C. All steam sterilizing equipment shall have live bacteriological spore monitoring performed at least weekly and with each load containing an implantable device. If tests are positive, a system shall be in place to recall supplies.

D. All ethylene oxide sterilizing equipment shall have live bacteriological spore monitoring performed with each load. There shall be ventilation of the room used for this sterilization to the outside atmosphere and there shall be a system in place to monitor trace gases of ethylene oxide at least monthly.