Packing room cleanliness studied

Comparing the performance of eight sterile service department packing rooms with regard to their environmental cleanliness has shown: All those tested have airborne particle levels at an acceptable level but some were significantly better than others. Microbial sampling of the packing room air using active sampling techniques has clearly shown that in some departments the levels are unacceptable. This is in contrast to passive air sampling (settle plates), which does not clearly reveal this difference. Examination of the microbial levels on surfaces has shown that a) the bacterial levels on work stations surfaces is variable and this probably reflects different working practices and cleaning regimes and b) the bacterial level on floors is variable and could be improved on. A better awareness of what controls are necessary in the controlled environment of a packing room is clearly required by all. This would include designers as well as those involved in daily operations.