Question & AnswerQ&A (Act No. 2510)
The rules apply to all public laundries including commercial laundries such as laundromats, dry cleaning, linen-supply, diaper-supply laundries, community laundry areas, and institutional establishments with laundry facilities like hotels, hospitals, dormitories, government agencies, and similar operated establishments.
Chemical waste comprises discarded solid, liquid, and gaseous chemicals. It is considered hazardous if toxic, corrosive, flammable, reactive, or genotoxic. Non-hazardous chemical waste includes chemicals not meeting those criteria.
The establishment must secure a sanitary permit issued by the local health officer before operation.
The operator must promote good personal hygiene, ensure employees have updated health certificates, and ensure health, safety, and comfort of employees and customers.
The sanitary permit is valid until December 31 of the issuance year and must be renewed every beginning of the year thereafter.
Violations constitute misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment up to six months, a fine up to Php 1,000.00, or both, at the court's discretion.
Locker rooms, toilets, and bathrooms must have minimum illumination of 10 Foot-candles (approximately 107.6 Lux).
Water supply must be potable and capable of supplying at least 40 liters per capita per day with adequate pressure. Washing needs at least 37 to 50 liters per kilogram of clothes or linens.
Inspections must be conducted every three months by the local health officer or authorized personnel with a mission order, with reports, sanitary orders, and grace periods for compliance. Non-compliance may lead to permit suspension or revocation.
The laundry supervisor must comply with all requirements, ensure proper laundry operations, maintain equipment and facilities, provide schedules for linen supply, evaluate operations, and ensure sanitation at the establishment.
Personnel must secure a health certificate annually, observe good personal hygiene, wear clean uniforms, wash hands regularly, avoid smoking/drinking/ spitting at the workplace, and not work if suffering from communicable diseases or open wounds.
Establishments must have potable water supply, adequate toilets and bathrooms separated by gender, handwashing facilities, changerooms and lockers, solid waste management systems, vermin control measures, and properly constructed drainage and sewage systems.
Contaminated linens must be sorted and processed separately, handled carefully using water-soluble bags, washed with hot water for at least 25 minutes, sterilized appropriately, and disposed or condemned based on condition and usage duration.
They must prevent discharge of solvents through public sewer systems, dispose hazardous wastes per DENR and environmental laws, perform regular leak detection tests, phase out hazardous chemicals, and maintain spill containment systems.
They certify local laws for enforcement, assist the local health officer with resources and training, issue directives to prevent public health risks, and conduct hearings on erring establishments.