the installation of VIRUSKILLER air purification technology. Looking ahead, it will be increasingly important for businesses to seek out solutions that play an important role in restoring people’s confidence and peace of mind, allowing them to resume their normal lives.
2
Digital solutions supporting washroom management
A high turnover of people sharing a limited number of touchpoints is a recognised problem within the washroom. As well as washrooms potentially becoming overcrowded, shared touchpoints such as soap dispensers and taps represent potential vectors for the transmission of microbes via surface-to-person contact.
There are a number of No Touch solutions available, including No Touch soap dispensers, taps and sanitary waste bins that can help to prevent cross-contamination. In addition, these solutions can also help businesses manage their sustainability goals by reducing water and soap usage.
Initial Washroom Hygiene has a range of smart hygiene products called Rapid>SmartHygiene, which includes sensor-operated taps so employees don’t need to touch the sink, while water waste is reduced by stopping water flow as soon as hands are moved away. These solutions also offer connected, cloud-based technology that gathers real-time data from dispensers, so products can be replaced in a seamless, timely manner. Washroom insights also help to assist with cleaning strategies, giving professionals a greater understanding of when their facilities are in peak use and when they need to be cleaned.
3
The hygienic cubicle The pandemic has raised users’ expectations of
hygiene levels, with certain safeguards that were once a rarity becoming more commonplace. These include providing surface disinfectant or toilet seat cleaner in every cubicle; installing toilet paper dispensers which contain the paper to reduce touchpoints; or providing sanitary waste disposal bins that are both touch-free and, if possible, wall-mounted.
Ensuring sanitary waste disposal bins are installed in both male and female washrooms is becoming increasingly non-negotiable. Many people experience varying degrees of continence challenges, ranging from occasional symptoms to everyday loss of bladder control. With research from Initial Washroom Hygiene (conducted by Censuswide) revealing that more than half (54%) of GPs from across the UK believe diagnoses of continence-related problems are increasing, it’s becoming ever more important to provide the appropriate equipment to help deal with the issue. Almost all (97%) doctors who were part of this study said that better access to disposal facilities in washroom environments would allow sufferers to lead a more normal life.
In doing so, businesses are offering a safe, discreet, and hygienic washroom experience. Failure to do so could increase the risk of germs being spread and can result in washroom users flushing inappropriate items down the toilet, potentially leading to costly blockages in plumbing.
64 | WASHROOM HYGIENE
4
Healthy hands The post-pandemic washroom must ensure that users
are provided with No Touch soap dispensers, an adequate number of socially-distanced hand drying facilities, and ideally, hand sanitising facilities too. This is particularly important as hand hygiene appears to be in decline. Our latest research, conducted by Opinion Matters in June 2021, revealed that just two thirds (66%) of Brits say they always wash their hands after using a public washroom – 8% less than in 2018.
Businesses therefore need to do everything they can to promote effective hand hygiene in order to help prevent the spread of bacteria and illnesses.
“The end of work from home advice does not mean we are out of the woods yet.”
Thoroughly washing hands after using the toilet drastically reduces the spread of illness. Flu, for example, is commonly spread by germs from coughs and sneezes, which can live on hands and surfaces for 24 hours. Coupled with this, damp hands will spread bacteria significantly more than dry hands, highlighting the importance of hand drying alongside handwashing. A vital third step – and a process which has become far more commonly adopted during the past two years – is hand sanitising. Using hand sanitiser provides an extra layer of protection to ensure that any remaining germs are eradicated.
Businesses may also want to consider self-cleaning door push pads in the washroom facility. Hygienic door handles, called Surfaceskins, can be added to any push or pull door in a building, and work by releasing a small amount of ethanol gel under the fingers and hands when pressed. This immediately self-cleans the area touched, ready for the next user. The door handles work in a similar fashion, releasing a small amount of alcohol gel from an internal bottle to self- clean the handle for the next user.
Conclusion
As we slowly emerge from the pandemic, it’s essential that we do not forget the lessons that it has taught us and the strides we have taken in personal hygiene. Businesses must lead the way and provide washrooms that both reassure and encourage people to return to their offices.
For support in ensuring your washroom is as prepared as it can be to cater to the developing needs of your employees, then it’s best to call in the experts. We can advise where air purification systems are necessary, the No Touch units that can be installed, and the sanitary products that will enhance user experience and general wellbeing.
www.initial.co.uk twitter.com/TomoCleaning
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 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78
