If you’ve built a cleanroom, chances are you’re worried about industry regulations, competitive pressure, and maintaining a high level of quality control.
All these reasons (and more) are why it’s vital that you prevent contamination in your cleanroom. Without the removal and prevention of contamination, your business will be unable to repeat your operation successfully and maintain ever so important quality standards.
By removing contamination, you’ll have a lot less wasted product and save your business valuable time with R & D (research and development). When you eliminate particulate and bioburdening variables, your environment will be consistent for your business operations.
In this post, we’ll be talking about how your team can prevent cleanroom contamination and guarantee that your cleanroom is working effectively.
#1 Gowning Procedures
The first factor that’s vital to preventing cleanroom contamination is the gowning procedures in place. Much like a lot of cleanroom S.O.Ps (standard operating procedures), gowning procedures are dependent on a myriad of things such as company culture and industry standards and are usually clearly written out and displayed near the cleanroom.
Cleanroom gowning is the process of putting on garments such as gloves, aprons, shoe covers, and head coverings to ensure that no particulate that resides on outside clothing enters into the cleanroom, contaminating the process. This is usually done in a gowning room that acts as a middleman between the cleanroom and the rest of the facility.
Although present in every industry, we see gowning becoming more vital in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, as contamination from outside clothing could mean life or death for patients.
#2 Separating Clean and Dirty Spaces
Another one of the most important things you can do for the cleanliness of your room is separating the clean space from the outside.
The easiest way to do this is through the use of an anteroom. An anteroom separates the cleanroom from the facility, preventing outside traffic from entering the room and contaminating the process. Anti-rooms can be used for gowning or as an air lock for material transfer.
If you’re going to have an anti-room, it’s recommended that you install interlocking doors. The biggest reason for installing interlocking doors is that it prevents both the door into the cleanroom and the door to the outside from being open at the same time.
By drawing a clear line in the sand and separating clean and contaminated spaces, you’re well on your way to reducing potential particulate contamination.
#3 Regular Cleaning
Although it may seem obvious, not many companies realize just how important having a regular cleaning schedule is to the success of their process. Much like gowning, this S.O.P. usually is performed a little differently by each company.
It’s important to note that the type of cleaner you’ll employ is based on the type of cleanroom you have, and what your industry may require.
Over the years, we’ve seen that customers who are building their first cleanroom don’t usually have strict written cleaning procedures before they begin operation. As a result, they typically struggle to stick to standards more than those who have their S.O.Ps clearly written and displayed from the get go.
Before you commission your new cleanroom for use, make sure to decide on a set of standards for cleaning and have your operators (and/or occupants) stick to it for the best prevention of contamination.
Closing
Remember. If you have a cleanroom, preventing contamination should be at the top of your priority list.
In order to actively prevent contamination, make sure to employ these three tips to ensure that your process is seamless, repeatable and clean.
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