Rule 4101:6-1-24 | Definitions and methods of sterilization processes required.
(A) Sterilization methods include the following:
(1) "Dry heat method" requires subjecting items of bedding, upholstered furniture, or stuffed toys in an approved chamber to a maintained temperature of two hundred thirty degrees Fahrenheit for a minimum period of two hours after the required temperature has been attained. Heat may be obtained from steam, electricity, or gas. Use of gas shall require an indirect heating system to eliminate the possibility of igniting materials being sterilized. Space for free circulation between and around articles of bedding shall not be less than four inches.
(2) "Steam method" requires subjecting items of bedding, upholstered furniture, or stuffed toys in an approved chamber with direct steam for thirty minutes at a pressure of fifteen pounds per square inch and temperature of two hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit or for twenty minutes at a pressure of twenty pounds per square inch and temperature of two hundred sixty degrees Fahrenheit. An approved steam tight chamber shall be sufficiently strong to withstand such pressure being used and equipped with accurate visible pressure and temperature gauges as well as necessary safety devices. The chamber shall provide for free circulation with a minimum clearance of one inch from the tops, bottoms and sides of articles being sterilized.
(3) "Carbon dioxide method" requires subjecting items of bedding, upholstered furniture, or stuffed toys in an approved chamber with a mixture of nine parts carbon dioxide and one part ethylene gas, a minimum of one and sixty-five hundredths pounds of commercially prepared carbon dioxide for each one hundred cubic feet of chamber volume, for twenty-four hours at a temperature of seventy degrees Fahrenheit or for six hours at a temperature of one hundred degrees Fahrenheit. The chamber shall be completely gas-tight with approved equipment for circulating gas during the exposure period and exhausting gas after sterilization. Exhaust fan(s) shall have an exhaust duct with sealed joints to the outside that discharge above the roof of the building and shall not be located nearer than one hundred feet of any residence. Exhaust and air inlet valves of positive locking type shall be provided. Space for free circulation of gas between and around articles of bedding undergoing sterilization shall be at least one inch.
(B) Sanitization method includes the following:
"Spray process" requires a separate room, well ventilated to the outside, either naturally or mechanically, which shall be provided and isolated from other parts of the establishment. Only substances approved by the division of industrial compliance may be used in the spray sanitization method. The material or article shall be thoroughly sprayed over all surfaces and in all crevices and corners, including the frame of articles being renovated. Any hand- or power-operated spraying device may be used to apply a germicidal solution with insecticide additive. Such solution shall contain non-toxic and non-flammable crystals that can be detected with an ultra-violet lamp. Application shall be in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications. Such disinfected articles shall not be removed from said isolated room prior to a thirty-minute interval after the treatment. The spraying operator is required to use a type of mask approved to prevent the inhalation of chemicals, eye protectors, and gloves impervious to the spray.
(C) Sterilization or sanitization may be performed by other methods that are proven to be proficient to thoroughly sterilize or sanitize, and disinfect, bedding products, upholstered furniture, stuffed toys, and materials, provided such process and equipment has been approved by the superintendent and the section of bedding of the division of industrial compliance.
(D) All treatment devices listed in paragraph (A) of this rule shall be equipped with a thermostat that can be clearly seen from outside of the chamber and a recording thermometer to automatically record the temperature and time for each sterilization or disinfection period. The recording thermometer number shall be initialed by the operator, filed in numerical order, and kept for six months for examination at any time by agents of the section of bedding.
Last updated November 5, 2021 at 12:53 AM
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