"
Back to basics
As the coronavirus crisis continues to spread across the globe, Trudi Osborne, Marketing Manager at Airdri, explains why hand hygiene is key to regaining control of infection.
washing your hands if you’re not going to dry them properly.
If you’re thinking that wiping them across your jeans or coat will suffice, think again. It might remove surface water, but how much new bacteria are you picking up that has been living on your clothes for days, or even weeks?
Best practice
To encourage proper hand hygiene, washrooms need to be kitted out with efficient, durable facilities. Alongside a thorough hand wash – with water and soap for at least 20 seconds – should be an effective dry. Many washrooms offer users a variety of drying options, from cotton or paper towels to jet dryers. But which is the most effective at removing bacteria? In our opinion, hand dryers should always be the method of choice.
This time of year always brings with it an array of illnesses, from seasonal flu to norovirus. To add more strain to the battle against bugs, 2020 kicked off with a new virus outbreak.
Coronavirus ‘COVID-19’ has affected numerous countries to date, and health professionals have predicted that a vaccine is still months away.
These contaminations all have one thing in common: the ability to spread like wildfire if control measures aren’t adopted. With increasing numbers of confirmed cases, it has never been more important to implement infection prevention measures.
It’s no secret that thorough hand hygiene is the single most effective way of reducing the spread of infection. It sounds simple, but it’s backed up by hard facts. According to the World Health Organization, this contributes significantly to keeping patients safe in a healthcare setting, and beyond. Considering 80% of communicable diseases are transferred by touch, it makes perfect sense to go back to basics and adopt a rigorous hand hygiene regime.
Concerning uptake
Given the amount of information out there that confirms hand hygiene is essential for infection control, it’s alarming to hear that just one in five of us wash our hands properly after using the washroom.
Even more concerning is the number of people that undo their efforts by failing to effectively dry their hands. Wet hands are 1000 times more likely to spread bacteria than those dried thoroughly. Put simply, there’s little point
32 | REGULAR
Let’s first look at the cotton towel, from the type you’d find in your own bathroom, to the cabinet roll dispensers serving a thin, damp cotton towel. They all have one thing in common: they harbour bacteria. Any previous user that didn’t effectively remove all germs from their hands when washing can very easily contaminate a cotton towel, which is then left hanging for the next user to pick up.
"It’s alarming to hear that just one in five of us wash our hands properly after using the washroom."
Then there’s paper. Whilst this option is disposable, therefore taking any surface bacteria with it, it’s not the most sustainable choice – an important factor for any facilities manager to consider. Users often need multiple sheets to absorb surface water, leaving the need for constant replenishment. Also, what if they’re not disposed of properly? Someone, at some point, will have to pick up the germ-filled paper from the floor, potentially picking up any contamination on the product.
When it comes to hand dryers, the solution offered must be effective and durable. There’s little point in installing a slow, powerless electric dryer that will leave users reaching for paper. And there’s little merit in providing a hand dryer that can’t keep up with high traffic-demand. Opting for a robust model, like the Airdri Quantum, will stand the test of time and ensure that users complete the hand hygiene process quickly, efficiently, and most importantly, hygienically.
www.airdri.com
(
https://www.who.int/gpsc/tools/faqs/evidence_hand_hygiene/en/)
https://allportablesinks.com/blogs/news/17-handwashing-facts-and-statistics)
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 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88
