CSA Z317.12:20

Preface

This is the first edition of CSA Z317.12, Cleaning and disinfection of health care facilities. It is part of a series of Standards related to the maintenance of health care facilities from an environmental cleaning perspective and sets forth preventive measures intended to protect patients, staff, and visitors from disease transmission that can be produced by harmful pathogens in the building environment.

This Standard has been developed in compliance with Standards Council of Canada requirements for National Standards of Canada. It has been published as a National Standard of Canada by CSA Group.

Scope

1.1

This Standard applies to the cleaning and disinfection of HCFs providing health care services including, but not limited to, inpatient services or outpatient services.

1.2

This Standard is intended to address the cleaning and disinfection of HCFs that includes both manual disinfection practices and automated environmental disinfection systems.

1.3

This Standard applies to all personnel that perform cleaning and disinfection functions in HCFs and stakeholders of the cleaning and disinfection process.

1.4

This Standard does not apply to

a) cleaning and disinfection of food services departments, except for the cleaning and disinfection of food preparation and eating areas (see Clause 10.1.1) in other areas of the HCF;

b) cleaning and disinfection of critical or semi-critical medical devices (see CAN/CSA-Z314);

c) plumbing installation (see CSA Z317.1);

d) HVAC installation (see CSA Z317.2);

e) management of health care waste materials (see CSA Z317.10); and

f) laundering of reusable medical textiles (see CAN/CSA-Z314).

1.5

In this Standard, shall is used to express a requirement, i.e., a provision that the user is obliged to satisfy in order to comply with the Standard; should is used to express a recommendation or that which is advised but not required; and may is used to express an option or that which is permissible within the limits of the Standard.

Notes accompanying clauses do not include requirements or alternative requirements; the purpose of a note accompanying a clause is to separate from the text explanatory or informative material.

Notes to tables and figures are considered part of the table or figure and may be written as requirements.

Annexes are designated normative (mandatory) or informative (non-mandatory) to define their application.