A new era for hand hygiene
Alasdair Sharp, UK & Ireland Sales Manager for Satino by WEPA, discusses how attitudes towards hand hygiene have changed, and how paper towels are helping to prevent the spread of germs, and the essential products businesses cannot do without.
While those of us working in the industry have long understood the importance of good hygiene and its contribution towards health and wellbeing, the current global pandemic has shone a spotlight on hygiene – in particular, handwashing – and its importance.
For people working in industries such as hospitality or healthcare, hygiene has always been an essential part of the daily routine. However, more and more people are now taking hygiene seriously, and understanding the importance of handwashing for preventing the spread of bacteria and germs to communal areas and individual workspaces.
A focus on handwashing
Handwashing remains a hot topic of conversation as people consider the ramifications of poor hand hygiene on their long and short-term health.
Washing hands is one of the simplest things a person can do to prevent the spread of germs from one surface to another, with soap and water being an effective solution. This fundamental message has not changed, but the global crisis has highlighted the possibility that people might have become lax about their handwashing routines.
Hygiene is not just making hand sanitiser readily available and encouraging people to wash their hands: it’s about implementing a full suite of solutions – from waste bins to paper towels – to keep hygiene front of mind across the business.
From a WEPA Professional perspective, we have experienced increased demand from businesses that are now looking to implement a business-wide hygiene policy in order to safeguard their employees, and make hygiene a collective responsibility.
Hand towels or hand dryers?
One thing that has become clear is the effectiveness of paper hand towels compared with modern-day hot air dryers.
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In 2018, a study conducted by the University of Connecticut and published by the European Tissue Symposium found that hand dryers are more likely to increase the risk of transmission of bacteria and viruses. Researchers sampled 36 washrooms on different floors across three buildings and observed that the amount of air emitted from dryers allowed bacteria to circulate.
At WEPA, we feel it’s our responsibility to inform people on the effectiveness of paper hand towels. While hot air dryers have previously been regarded as a quick and easy method of hand drying, paper towels are just as easy to use, highly absorbent and can also be used to avoid touching surfaces, such as operating taps and doors. As a result, we are now seeing more businesses making the switch from hand dryers to paper towels.
Cost versus gain
In this new era of cleaning, it’s important for businesses to consider the long-term cost implications of not having an effective hygiene policy versus the outlay associated with investing in a suite of quality cleaning and hygiene products.
Sickness absence can be extremely costly for a business when you compare this to the cost of cleaning products. From what we have seen, most businesses have now adopted signage to remind employees to wash their hands regularly throughout the day, though a good hygiene policy will extend beyond this.
In addition to making hand sanitiser widely available, businesses should ensure that they have an adequate supply of soap in washrooms and kitchens that employees can use regularly. Paper towels are the ideal choice for drying hands and are available in a range of formats including z and v-fold for ease of use. Dispensers should be kept topped up, waste bins emptied frequently, and cleaning products made available in communal areas and individual workspaces.
www.satino-by-wepa.co.uk twitter.com/TomoCleaning
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