WILMINGTON, Mass. — February 25, 2021 — UniFirst Corp., a North American provider of customized work uniform programs, corporate attire, and facility service products for business, has long offered hygienically clean laundering as part of its managed uniform rental services. With the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic shedding a renewed light on the need for hygiene, cleaning, and disinfecting, the convenience and safety of a managed, hygienically clean uniform program has become a top priority for many companies across the nation. Leading uniform suppliers such as UniFirst continue to answer that call, with programs and services that help employees stay safe and healthy on the job.
In a study performed by the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI), “hygienically clean” is defined as “free of pathogens in sufficient numbers to cause human illness.” The primary benefit of utilizing managed uniform and industrial laundry services with properly documented laundering techniques is the drastic reduction in the risk of cross-contamination of chemicals, biological substances like bacteria and viruses, and other soiling agents between the workplace and the home.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)—part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—conducted a survey of contamination in workers’ homes by hazardous substances transported from the workplace. Work clothing was identified as a major route of exposure that caused various negative health effects among workers’ families. This finding is of particular importance in the healthcare industry, as frontline workers contend daily with pathogens, bacteria, and viruses that they certainly do not want to be bringing into their homes on soiled scrub apparel.
“Laundering facilities that deliver hygienically clean uniforms and workwear have the ability to regulate and control virtually all aspects of the laundering process,” says Adam Soreff, director of marketing and communications for UniFirst. “From strict temperature moderation of both washers and dryers to the use of high-powered, environmentally friendly detergents that are specifically formulated for varying industries and different types of soiling, managed uniform and laundering services provide health and safety advantages that are simply not attainable in a home setting.”
UniFirst uniform rental programs that deliver hygienically clean garments provide businesses with numerous advantages that company-managed or at-home programs simply cannot. Aside from the elimination of upfront investments, cost savings over time, and the aforementioned health and safety benefits, managed service programs also offer:
- Enhanced business and employee image;
- Tailored, individual sizing and fitting;
- Customized, high-definition emblems and embroidery;
- Regularly scheduled pickup and delivery;
- Weekly maintenance and quality checks of all garments;
- Automatic repairs and replacements as needed; and
- Complete program management.
The many benefits of a UniFirst uniform rental program are clear, but perhaps nowhere more so than in the area of health and safety. Whether in the midst of a pandemic or not, the peace of mind provided by hygienically clean laundering, scheduled pickup and delivery, maintenance, and the reduced need for bringing soiled or tainted workwear home is enough to make companies nationwide choose hygienically clean uniforms for their staff.
Posted February 25, 2021
Source: UniFirst Corp.
