WASHROOM HYGIENE
Combatting winter viruses withwashroom solutions
Paul Mulready, Marketing Manager of Northwood Hygiene Products, talks about the importance of washroom hygiene in fighting norovirus while the nation waits for a new vaccine to fight the bug.
Recent news that a vaccine is to be trialled in the UK to see if it’s effective against norovirus – a stomach bug that causes vomiting and diarrhoea – has been welcomed. The winter vomiting bug, as it is known, has huge consequences at this
time of year, often closing hospital wards, increasing school absences and keeping parents off work.
The vaccine is to be tested on around 25,000 adults in more than six countries around the world over the next two years. If successful, it could reduce the number of vulnerable adults in hospital during winter and cut the associated costs on the NHS.
Nearly four million people are infected by the bug every year, with 12,000 people being admitted to hospital with it. The financial cost to the NHS is estimated to run to £100m annually. Older adults and vulnerable people, such as care home residents, are the most susceptible, but healthcare workers, childcare providers, school children and parents often fall ill too.
With so many cases of norovirus and no vaccine available yet, a clean and well-stocked washroom is essential to allow people to maintain good hand hygiene and reduce the spread of infection. To ensure washrooms deliver, there are a few factors that organisations should consider.
Providing a functional washroom experience is vital, so it’s worth considering how many people use the washroom and how often you need to stock up on essentials, such as soap and paper towels – consumables can deplete quickly.
Clean, dry hands reduce contamination
Proper hand washing and hand drying remain the most important ways of maintaining hygiene and reducing the chance of infection. It’s therefore important for managers to review the practicality of dispensers and invest in larger capacity units if necessary. Damp hands spread germs more readily, and with many people ignoring hand dryers on their way out of the washroom, it may be sensible to provide paper towels instead, which are both hygienic and convenient.
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The design of washroom dispensers is really important too. With washrooms being constantly used, it’s essential to control the use of paper towels to prevent overuse. Providers should therefore choose high-capacity, controlled-use dispensers that restrict the use of consumables like hand towels. Not only does this help to reduce costs, it also reduces waste and is therefore more environmentally sustainable.
Furthermore, dispensers that are sealed and splashproof keep products safely stored inside, helping to prevent the contents becoming contaminated.
Fit for purpose
Northwood’s Raphael proprietary washroom system is commonly specified because it provides superior hygiene and cost in use, whilst offering strong environmental benefits. For example, our tissue and soap products are made in the UK to cut down on transport, and our toilet tissue dispensers use an innovative Infinity paper system, allowing users to replenish one roll at a time, ensuring full roll usage for the end user and minimising waste.
When it comes to hand drying, the high-capacity Raphael collection includes four hand towel dispensers, which can provide contactless dispensing for added hygiene. The roll towel dispensers hold up to 250 sheets each, providing around 500 dries, with some offering stub-roll transfer to ensure zero waste. The hand drying systems dispense one at a time flat sheets to avoid overuse and the folded towel dispenser has a 1,000-sheet capacity. To reduce overuse, the dispensers do not free roll.
Having well-equipped washrooms during the winter months is vital to combat bugs like norovirus, and providers can help to keep people safe and healthy by investing in the right solutions that allow for good hand hygiene until that vaccine is available.
For further information, call 01952 236 930 or visit the website below.
www.northwood.co.uk twitter.com/TomoCleaning
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