National Norms and Standards relating to Environmental Health

) Sluice rooms must be well ventilated.c) Equipped with hand wash basin for washing of hands by staff and hot and cold running water as wellas a combination of a hopper sink with a wash facility for bedpans/urinals.d) The wall area behind the slop hopper sinks and hand wash basins must be equipped with a backsplash plate or be tiled, to facilitate easy cleaning.e) Floors must be constructed of an easy cleanable surface.f) Separate storage space must be provided for urinalysis testing.3.9 Storage facilitiesAdequate storage facilities must be provided.a) Storage facilities must be provided for the storage for medicines and drugs and such facilities must bekept locked at all times except when medicines or drugs are being removed or returned to it.b) Additional storage facilities must be provided for the storage of poisons, habit-forming drugs andpotentially dangerous drugs.c) Storage room must contain adequate moveable shelving made of impervious material.d) Every shelf in a store room must be a minimum height of 225 mm above the floor.e) All storerooms and store facilities must be kept clean at all times and cleaned routinely at least onceevery week.f) Individual lockable cupboards must be available for storage of each resident’s personal items.3.10 Laundry facilitiesa) Landry area must be provided for laundering of linen on the premises and facilities used in connectionwith laundering of linen on the premises must be in compliance with the requirements as set out inSection 10 of this document.b) If an outside contractor is utilized for laundry purposes, it must be done in an approved laundry by aregistered service provider.3.11 General Requirementsa) Measures must be practiced for infection control and to prevent spread of infection andcommunicable diseases;b) Good maintenance must be done in all areas of the premises, including the kitchen equipment,laundry machinery; outdoor steps, pathways; gardening equipment to ensure a safe environment forthe service users;c) Separate residential accommodation must be provided for staff required to reside on the premises;d) Adequate accommodation for the administrative purposes must be provided;e) Adequate storage facilities for articles that are reasonable necessary to store on the premises for theday to day running of the nursing home must be provided;f) A separate linen room, containing adequate cupboards or shelves for the storage of linen must beprovided;g) A fire escape, the stairs of which are a minimum of 1m wide with landings at each turning point,measuring a minimum of 2.2m by 1.7m must be affixed on the premises;h) Fire-fighting and control equipment, approved by the local municipality fire department must beprovided and maintained on the premises;i) Adequate storage facilities must be provided for the storage of any spare equipment, includingparticularly heavy equipment and gas cylinders. The equipment must be stored in manner so as notto obstruct any passages, entrances of exits to the premises;j) An emergency stand-by electrical plant must be provided which is adequate to provide an immediatealternative supply to electricity to –• Any part of the nursing home to ensure the continued operation, throughout the period of the ofthe failure of all electrically operated appliances and equipment which, in the opinion of anEnvironmental Health Practitioner of any relevant professional, are or may be life saving.k) Appropriate first aid emergency equipment must be available on the premises.SECTION 5: SCHOOLSA school shall refer to any private, public or farm schools, including private and public boarding schools,and premises of institutions for higher learning, excludes initiation schools.DOH. Norms and standards for environmental health in South Africa Feb 2013 32