WASHROOM HANDY HYGIENE HELP
Evans Vanodine explains why picking the right sanitiser and surface disinfectant for your washrooms is essential for safeguarding visitors and business reputation.
It goes without saying that our industry knows the importance of cleaning and hygiene, but the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted this importance to others. Disinfecting surfaces and washing and sanitising our hands more often has now become ingrained in daily routines; hopefully a habit that will remain long after the pandemic ends.
As lockdown restrictions begin to ease, and businesses re-open once again, provisions must be made to enable safe operations whilst also protecting staff, visitors and the general public. Regular and effective hand hygiene remains one of the most important defences against Coronavirus, so washrooms play a vital role. Hotels, pubs, restaurants, leisure centres, attractions, will all require well-maintained washroom facilities and will need to ensure that effective products are being used.
Hand hygiene Coronavirus is an enveloped virus, meaning soap and water are easily able to break down the outer fat (lipid) layer and kill off the virus. Standard hand washes are enough to disrupt the virus, however, ones with added moisturiser will help protect the skin from frequent hand washing, along with barrier creams or hand lotions.
Hand sanitisers should be placed at entry and exit points, as an extra safeguard to hand washing. It is important, however, to check that the product being used is suitable. Not only should an effective hand sanitiser contain at least 60% alcohol, as advised by the NHS, Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and WHO, but it should also contain emollients to help protect the skin. Evans Handsan contains 70% alcohol with emollient and passes EN 14476 against all enveloped viruses, including Coronavirus.
Surface disinfection Governing bodies and guidelines state that surfaces should be cleaned and disinfected using a two-stage process, i.e. clean surfaces fi rst, then disinfectant surfaces second. If you are using a multi-purpose, cleaner disinfectant, this can be used for both stages.
The substantial increase in the demand for disinfectants, and hand sanitisers, during the pandemic, has seen a number of non- compliant disinfectants come to market, which can pose a health risk. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) are coordinating enforcement throughout Europe, to protect citizens from the risks of illicit and ineffective products. In the UK this would be via the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) biocides.
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For a product to be effective against Coronavirus, it should have a test report confi rming it has been tested to EN 16777 and/or EN 14476 with vaccinia virus for enveloped viruses, allowing a claim against Coronavirus. Exceptions to this would be products capable of producing 1,000ppm chlorine and hand sanitisers containing more than 60% alcohol. To claim a product is effective against Coronavirus without correct supporting data is fraudulent and puts people at risk.
Evans EC4 Sanitiser, EC9 Washroom, Est-eem/Est-eem RTU and Protect/ Protect RTU have been independently tested and pass EN 16777, as well as EN 14476, with a 4-log reduction (99.99%). EN 14476 has been the more commonly used test to prove effi cacy against coronaviruses, and widely promoted during the COVID-19 pandemic, but is a suspension test. EN 16777 is a surface test, which offers a better representation of the practical conditions in the real world. Using a disinfectant that passes EN 16777, and EN 14476, will give you extra confi dence in your surface disinfection and infection control routine and ensure you are safeguarding your visitors and your business reputation.
Another claim to look out for, which may not be supported, is long-term residual activity, as well as incorrect packaging and hazard labelling. To verify any claims, users should request test data or microbiological profi les, prior to using a product. The CHSA has advised buyers to be cautious of extraordinary claims on products- “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
www.evansvanodine.co.uk
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