NEWS
WHEN NATURE CALLS: ONE IN THREE UK WORKERS USE THEIR PHONE ON THE LOO
Research from Initial Washroom Hygiene, has found that a third of UK workers admit to being on their smartphone while using the toilet, and almost one in 12 even consume food and drink there, leading to major concerns about the spread of germs in the workplace.
The study questioned 1,000 office workers in the UK, to mark Global Handwashing Day (15th October) and to understand the state of handwashing habits in office environments.
A third of UK workers questioned said that they use their smartphones while in the office washroom, with Facebook (60%), WhatsApp (36%), playing games and emailing (both 18%) the most popular activities. Also, 13% even admitted to making phone calls from the cubicle. Most worryingly of all, around one in 12 (8%) said they had eaten food in the office washroom.
Perhaps understandably, British workers are concerned about their colleagues’ washroom habits. Almost half (49%) would be ‘disgusted’, and a quarter would be ‘concerned’, if they knew a colleague didn’t wash their hands after visiting the washroom. Almost four in 10 (38%) will avoid shaking hands with people they know have just left the washroom, while a quarter would be uncomfortable with a client or important business stakeholder using the same office toilets as the general workforce.
According to the World Health Organisation, hand hygiene is ‘the most important measure to avoid the transmission of harmful germs’. Thankfully, more than eight out of 10 (83%) of UK office workers claim to always wash their hands after visiting the washroom and 31% claim to wash their hands for more than 20 seconds every time. However, this good work could be undone by office workers’ unhygienic habits.
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Dr Peter Barratt, Initial Washroom Hygiene, commented: “As we approach the winter months when Norovirus outbreaks and ‘flu pandemics tend to occur, it’s even more important that people remain vigilant with their hand hygiene. It is so simple, but plays such an important role in helping prevent the spread of bacteria and viruses. To make the point, a single bacterium has the capacity to multiply into more than eight million cells in less than 24 hours if conditions are right, and it is estimated that the typical office worker’s hands come into contact with 10 million bacteria per day, simply through everyday activities.
“While a majority of people claim they always wash their hands after using the washroom, evidence suggests that this may not be the case. Our wireless sensing system ‘HygieneConnect’ measures handwashing compliance, and data collated from this system tells us that the actual percentage of people washing their hands with soap, is often only half of the number claiming to do so. Taking a gadget into the cubicle may have become habitual for many of us, but using a smartphone while in the washroom actually turns the device into a potential reservoir for germs such as bacteria and viruses. These can easily re-contaminate even washed hands, and could facilitate the spread of germs around the office.
“Employers have an important role to play in supporting their workers’ hand hygiene and good health. Simple initiatives like notices reminding workers to wash, dry and sanitise their hands after visiting the washroom, before eating and when hot desking, as well as discouraging the use of mobile phones in the washroom, can make a huge difference. Creating a clean, pleasant and well-stocked washroom is also an effective way to support workers’ hand hygiene and overall health.”
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