Environmental Services

Good credentials, like a good ladder, make all the difference in how well you do the job you need to do. Read on to find out more about why credentials are vital to be successful.

With the threat of antibiotic-resistant infections rising, hospitals must recalibrate cleaning protocols to maximize people’s health and well-being while continuously mitigating infection risks.

Hospitals often champion high-reliability principles, yet overlook one of their most risk-sensitive disciplines: environmental services. EVS operates in clinical environments where a single missed step can trigger pathogen transmission, regulatory failure, or patient harm. True high reliability is impossible without recognizing EVS as a core contamination-control and patient-safety function.

Think you know your EVS science inside and out? This crossword puts your expertise to the test with clues drawn from disinfection practices, cleaning validation, and the terminology every EVS professional and infection preventionist should know. Grab a pen or a colleague and see how far your knowledge takes you.

Oman is earning international attention for transforming hospital environmental hygiene into a national success story. Through the Clean Hospitals initiative, updated cleaning contracts, and workforce training, the Ministry of Health is showing how a unified approach to cleaning, auditing, and accountability can reduce infection risk and raise global standards in health care hygiene.

Sherrie is back! In this The Clean Bite, she discusses single-use vs Resusable Dental Supplies. Ultrasonic scaler tips, burs, and endodontic files are often reused despite being marketed as single-use. How many patients are at risk from shortcuts in reprocessing?

"Hospital tray lines operate at high speed to feed hundreds of patients daily. Staff members plate food, cover trays, and load them onto mobile carts that navigate elevators, hallways, and patient rooms. Each of these steps introduces opportunities for contamination."

Hidden in plain sight, cubicle curtains are among healthcare’s most-touched—and least regulated—surfaces. Vague “change when soiled” guidance leaves dangerous gaps, as dusty mesh headers and inconsistent replacement cycles quietly seed transmission, underscoring the need for quarterly, trackable swaps and evidence-based standards.

What do schools need to prevent the spread of infectious diseases? Infection prevention experts and school staff in Nebraska present their collaboration at IDWeek2025.

Crowded waiting rooms can turn routine checkups into transmission hubs. Here’s how outpatient clinics can cut risk, starting at the front door, with smarter cleaning, hand hygiene, masks, and fewer extra visitors.

Hey Clean Biters! What’s flowing through your lines? Make DUWL safety automatic: appoint a Safety Officer, write a one-page SOP, treat daily, shock monthly, test quarterly, and document <500 CFU/mL. Grab the log—clean water, every patient, every time.

This is the second of a 2-part conversation with CDC epidemiologist Danielle Rankin, PhD, MPH, CIC. In this installment, she dives into practical infection prevention strategies, surveillance challenges, and the urgent need for mechanism-specific testing as NDM-CRE surges in US health care settings.

This is the first of a 2-part conversation with CDC epidemiologist Danielle Rankin, PhD, MPH, CIC. In this installment, she unpacks her study about the urgent rise of NDM-CRE and what infection preventionists need to know now.

What if there were a new index to reduce exposure risks on high-touch facility surfaces? Read on to learn about one.

Measuring cleaning is not the same as proving disinfection. Infection preventionists must use ATP and fluorescent markers wisely—supporting training, not replacing microbial validation.

Legionnaires’ disease remains a deadly but preventable threat in health care, especially in long-term care. Every facility needs a strong, team-driven water management plan because prevention starts at the tap. This article explains what is needed to write one.

From ultrasound gel safety to high-level disinfection, The Joint Commission’s 2025 surveys are zeroing in on infection prevention hot spots. Are your teams ready?

Check out the latest print edition of Infection Control Today: September/October 2025.

As hospitals turn to UVC technology to combat health care-associated infections, a new FDA mandate is changing the game—requiring formal authorization for devices that claim to reduce microbial contamination. For infection preventionists and health care leaders, understanding this regulatory shift is now essential to protecting patients and ensuring compliance.

Behind every safe surgery and patient interaction lies a detail often overlooked: clean, properly managed health care textiles. TRSA’s 3-part webinar series brings infection preventionists, administrators, and clinicians the latest best practices, from eliminating the risks of home laundering to ensuring hygienically clean certifications. Now free to access, these sessions offer actionable strategies to strengthen infection control across every facility.

In health care, every decision impacts safety. Yet many facilities still rely on woven towels and blankets to absorb blood and body fluid spills—a risky shortcut that undermines infection prevention, slows workflows, and puts staff at regulatory and safety risk. It’s time to replace outdated habits with engineered, evidence-based solutions designed for today’s high-stakes care environment.

In this installment of Building Bridges in Infection Prevention, what a mattress mistake can cost both patient and facility.

VIM-producing Pseudomonas aeruginosa isn’t just surviving in ICUs; it’s thriving. With mortality rates exceeding 30%, colonization risks hiding in drains, devices, and even donor milk, IPs must take proactive steps to outsmart this pathogen. Now is the time to double down on environmental controls, risk factor recognition, and surveillance strategies. Let’s break the biofilm cycle before the next outbreak takes root.

Infection prevention in behavioral health isn't one-size-fits-all. From PPE to hand hygiene, unique risks demand tailored solutions. Learn how to protect patients and staff safely and effectively.

Check out our first IPC Crossword Challenge.