No national regulations to lock utility rooms, but . . .
Someone asked me about whether clean and dirty utility rooms need to be locked. The short answer is no, a clean utility room does not have to be locked, at least in terms of a regulatory requirement.
The longer answer is the overriding expectation that organizations will, as a function of the safety and security risk assessment process, identify those areas in which access and egress must be controlled due to the nature of the contents, accessibility of contents, etc.
A soiled utility room is somewhat similar in that, again, the risk assessment process would come into play. However, the risk assessment process will probably have to go a little bit further due to the fact that there are sometimes regulatory requirements at the state or local level that must be taken into consideration, as well as taking into account patient populations, etc.
For instance, in Massachusetts, the state public health regulations require soiled utility rooms to be locked. I don’t necessarily agree with this–I think that if the soiled utility room is in active use for disposal of contaminated materials, having to unlock a door to access the room increases the exposure risk for staff.
In that light, I have been able to negotiate with state inspectors that the risk of intrusion by unauthorized persons is very small compared to the increased risk of an exposure or spill while trying to access the locked soiled utility room.
That said, there are environments–behavioral health units, pediatrics units, maybe maternity (if there’s a fair amount of sibling visitation)–in which the risk of unauthorized intrusion is sufficient to go with securing the soiled utility room (and maybe even the clean utility room–almost certainly with behavioral health).
The first step is to document the decision making process. That way, if the question arises during survey, you will be able to discuss the process and how you reached the decisions that you made, including any interventions.
About the Author: Steve MacArthur is a consultant for The Greeley Company, a division of HCPro. He brings 30 years of healthcare management and consulting experience to his work with hospitals, physician offices, and ambulatory care facilities across the country. He is the author of HCPro's Hospital Safety Director's Handbook and is contributing editor for Briefings on Hospital Safety. Contact Steve at 
Georgia Maudsley | Jun 28, 2009 | Reply
What is the opinion about best infection control practices for handing soiled vaginal speculums and other gyn instruments? Take out of room after each patient, isolate in a dirty utility room, rinse in sink in room or in another room, put in bin at back hall, leave in room under sink in bucket? Help