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Ajman laundries ordered to wash bachelors’ clothes separately

This was part of a set of guidelines issued to laundries to ensure the highest standard of hygiene, according to Saif Salem Al Shamsi, Deputy Director of Ajman Municipality.

A family Physician confirmed that skin diseases can be communicated through mixing clothes if not washed properly. Dr. Manal Saeed, Primary Care in Abu Dhabi Family Physician, said: "Unless the clothes are washed with very hot water, there is a high chance of skin diseases being transferred from the clothes of the labourers, who work in low hygiene and poor living conditions. Skin diseases can include Scabies and other fungal diseases that attack the skin. However other diseases such as Influenza or cold cannot be transmitted. Only skin diseases are of concern in this issue.”

The Ajman civic body had launched an inspection campaign on laundries in the emirate to ensure they are following the hygiene and health regulations, Al Shamsi told Khaleej Times.

He said that the municipality has made it mandatory on the workers and owners of laundries to conduct the washing operations inside the premises licensed by the civic body for laundry purposes. He also instructed them to wash the clothes in ceramic basins and separate the family clothes from the labourers and bachelors, and to use hot water to prevent the microbes or germs that could cause disease to public.

The municipality will not issue license to laundry owners before it ensures that they will be working in hygienic and healthy atmosphere, he added.

"The most important health conditions include that the laundry premises should be divided into two parts, one to be allocated for laundry operation and another in the front of the premises for a signboard that should clearly carry out the commercial name of the business and its activities."

Prior to issuing licences to laundries, the municipality will make sure they maintain shelves and huge containers to store the unclean clothes. The workers also should carry a health card issued by the municipality to show that they are free from contagious diseases.

The workers should wear uniforms and follow up general health and hygiene conditions while performing their job. The municipality also forces these laundries to keep a large iron table covered with hygienic white cloth and regularly paint their walls using oil paints to facilitate easy clean up.

Al Shamsi, stressed that the municipality currently has strong control over the services through its regular intensified campaigns being carried out to ensure that the laundries are abiding by the regulations. The inspectors during their inspection visit ensure that the laundres are using best quality detergents, in addition to keeping everybody's clothes in a separate plastic cover.

He said the errant laundries which are found violating the regulation will be subjected to fines and face closure. He urged the public to cooperate with the municipality by calling the emergency section if they notice any negligence and lack of hygiene in the laundries.

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