Cleanroom design for audit compliance

Ultra-clean and safe environments are the top criteria used for audit compliance when designing a cleanroom. To adhere to the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) regulations, it is important that cleanrooms are designed with thorough expert consultation and with infection prevention and control practices front and centre. To support this, any hygienic furniture and equipment must facilitate Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and withstand thorough cleaning and maintenance.

Stainless steel furniture and equipment helps businesses meet the exacting hygienic audits set by the MHRA, because it combines incredible design flexibility with the robustness to withstand their rigorous cleaning processes. It’s common practice for stainless steel furniture providers to work very closely with their customers, designers and architects to deliver tailor-made solutions that comply with regulatory criteria.

Freestanding stainless steel furniture means cleanrooms can be future proof as they can be adapted according to need. This ensures much needed cost-effectiveness as the business can move their existing furniture as the needs of the business evolves over time. The material used also lends itself well to bespoke designs suited to specific requirements; such as for rapid decontamination using vaporized hydrogen peroxide.

To comply with GMP standards, cleanroom cleanability as well as adaptability is key: it needs to withstand particularly harsh cleaning processes. Austenitic steels (e.g. 304L grade steel) not only provide excellent resistance to corrosion, but they are also easily cleaned and disinfected without loss of properties and robustness for operating in a harsh environment.

In extreme conditions, austenitic 316L grade steel includes even more nickel and molybdenum, resulting in extra corrosion resistance. This is effective even against ultra-rigorous cleaning routines including chloride contents up to 500 mg/l.

We believe our customer research and long history of working closely with drug manufacturers and bio cleanroom users puts us in an informed position ready to respond to customers' requirements. Whether our customers’ priority is longevity through modular or bespoke design or supporting their GMP standards, we provide hygienically designed stainless steel furniture solutions off-the-shelf or can quickly adapt or design furniture and equipment from scratch to help our clients meet specific challenges. All our products support hygiene control through thoughtful, expert design and excellent manufacturing standards. It is important products will last; however rigorous the cleaning routine is.