Feature
in Educational Facilities Reducing the spread of infection
The spotlight is on hand hygiene and its role in minimising the spread of infection during the winter months. School business managers and cleaning professionals have an important role to play in encouraging hand hygiene compliance and thus helping to reduce the risk of outbreaks amongst pupils and staff members.
A huge 60% of absences across schools in England can be attributed to illness according to
the UK Department for
Furthermore, the national curriculum for Key Stages 1 and 2 in particular specifies that pupils should be taught how to maintain personal hygiene and improve their health and wellbeing. With this in mind, it is crucial that good handwashing habits
from an early age in the classroom. Hands are the primary vehicle for germ
transfer, either by person-to-person contact or by touching everyday surfaces, and thus good hand hygiene is one of the best methods of minimising the spread of infection in schools. For example, the NHS reports that norovirus can survive outside the body for several days. Washing hands with soap and water is one of the simplest and easiest ways for pupils to protect themselves and others from a range of illnesses. However, it
is within the school facility
itself where hand hygiene compliance can be most effectively targeted. Washroom foam soap provider, SC Johnson Professional, offer bespoke dispensers which engage pupils fur- ther with bespoke messaging, helping to raise the importance of hand hygiene in a con- structive manner. Bright and attractive dis- pensers can bring handwashing to life in the washroom and help engage younger pupils.
16 fmuk Education. School business managers should also look are taught
at the types of dispensers installed; hygiene compliance can soon become irrelevant if the washroom itself is unhygienic. Bulk-filled, open soap systems are commonly seen in washrooms, but in reality, they can present a serious hygiene problem. Airborne germs and bacteria can enter the soap reservoir, risking contamination – these dispensers are also often inadequately cleaned or refilled. According to a study by Chattman, Maxwell and Gerba, a huge 25% of refillable bulk soap dispensers are contaminated with unsafe levels of bacteria and can actually leave the hands with a shocking 25 times more bacteria after washing. Sealed cartridge soap dispensers
will
bring maximum hygiene, with a measured dose
of fresh product dispensed each
time. The maintenance of washrooms has a significant impact on hand hygiene, and with a more readily replaceable cartridge, this is made easier and simpler for cleaning professionals. With cleaner and pleasant- to-use soap dispensers, pupils are far more likely to wash hands thoroughly. When tackling the spread of infection
during the winter months, a double-edged approach is needed. Facilities should be hygienic with quality,
effective skin care
product, and awareness of best practice should be raised wherever possible to pupils and staff. With this method, the spread of germs can be minimised, thus effectively reducing associated effects such as illness and absenteeism. For more information on SC Johnson
Professional’s products and resources for schools, head to
www.scjp.com.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
