Does your equipment pass the test?

Testing and validation of decontamination and sterilisation equipment is an essential part of every practice’s decontamination procedures and should be clearly outlined in their infection control policy.

HTM 01-05 (WHTM 01-05 in Wales) 11.1 states that, “all decontamination equipment should be subjected to validation, testing, maintenance and servicing as recommended by the manufacturer/supplier” and continues, “failure to perform these tasks or retain evidence of their performance may indicate non-compliance of the decontamination process”.

In Scotland, SHTM 01-05, which replaced all previous guidance documents in April 2024, details the decontamination equipment that should be used to carry out the processing of dental instruments and the subsequent maintenance and testing requirements for decontamination equipment.