https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/news-events/2019-seasonal-influenza-assessment-currently-dominating-viruses-point-possible-heavy https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/seasonal-influenza/prevention-and-control/vaccines/vaccination-coverage
http://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/communicable-diseases/influenza/news/news/2019/01/20182019-influenza-season-what-we-know-so-far
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/about/transmission.html https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/seasonal-influenza/prevention-and-control/vaccination-infographic
https://www.health.com/cold-flu-sinus/flu-virus-live-on-surfaces
Fighting flu season
Matt Hayas, Global Product Manager at Hydro Systems, describes the significant role that chemical dispensers have to play in increasing cleanliness to protect the health of your workforce and your bottom line.
Cold and flu season is inevitable. However, exposing your workforce to the unnecessary risk of infection is not.
Sneezing, coughing and sniffling are the unmistakeable signs that the season has arrived again. Out of all infectious diseases, seasonal influenza is the one associated with the highest mortality rate in Europe. Between 15–70,000 European citizens die every year of causes associated with influenza, indicating its high burden, the increasing social and economic costs, and the importance of influenza prevention for seasonal epidemics.
The annual influenza epidemic may infect up to 20% of the population, depending on which viruses are circulating. More certain is that when employees begin to call in sick, it will significantly impact your workplace.
Preparing for the inevitable
Workplace items such as desks, counters, sinks, keyboards, handles, light switches, floors, phones, and other frequently touched surfaces, create an environment for harbouring and spreading infection. Highly infectious, flu can be passed from one employee to another one day before symptoms develop and up to five to seven days after.
According to the CDC, the manner in which the new Coronavirus is spread is similar to how influenza and other respiratory pathogens spread. Consequently, it’s vital to take the necessary steps to keep work environments as clean as possible.
From high-traffic reception areas to restrooms and open plan offices, the appropriate chemical dispensing systems help clean and disinfect key areas and surfaces, while measuring the right amount of chemical and water required to eliminate any harmful pathogens, and create a healthier workplace.
There’s no simple remedy, however there are a number of ways of reducing the risk of infection. These include: encouraging employees to get their annual flu jab – although in a bad year, the seasonal flu vaccine reduces the
50 | HEALTHCARE HYGIENE
risk of flu illness by only 20-30% – promoting efficient hand hygiene, reminding workers to take a sick day when needed, and using the right cleaning tools.
Targeting infection
Flu viruses can survive on hard surfaces like stainless steel and plastic for up to 24 hours, while cold viruses can also live for several hours. These can spread quickly through cross-contamination. Some common cleaning chemicals and methods don’t kill cold and flu germs, so it’s vitally important to clean and disinfect regularly with proven disinfectant products.
Keeping staff healthy means prioritising safety. Installing a chemical dispenser prevents exposure to cleaning chemicals and enhances cleaning effectiveness and productivity by providing accuracy and safety. Guesswork from traditional and unsafe ‘glug-glug’ methods, involving measuri ng chemical by hand, are eliminated when using chemical dispensing systems. Accurately dispensing the right amount of chemical and water makes cleaning and disinfecting easier, which in turn encourages employees to clean more frequently and to a higher standard.
Using a chemical dispenser to fill spray bottles for surface cleaning and mop buckets, or autoscrubber tanks for floor cleaning, promotes a healthy working environment. Performing these tasks helps reduce the spread of germs, in addition to maintaining your reputation.
Enhancing sustainability and savings
Dosing the right amount of chemical will help reduce chemical and water use, limit the amount of packaging waste created and helps support environmental stewardship, while increasing your bottom line. Ensuring cleaning is done right the first time will improve productivity and reduce labour costs.
When first investing in a dispensing system, check out all the features as well as tips for installation, training and maintenance, as this will help you to adopt best practice.
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