LEISURE & RETAIL A SPORTINGSUCCESS
The FIFA World Cup tournament is now in full swing which means sports venues are under the spotlight. How do stadium managers equip their busy washrooms for maximum hygiene and efficiency? Essity’s Stuart Hands explores the various solutions on hand hygiene.
The FIFA World Cup tournament kicked off in Qatar last month - and this means sports stadiums have once again come underthe spotlight.
These huge, busy facilities are frequently the subject of negative press. The deadly stampede at Indonesia’s Kanjuruhan stadium in September shocked the world and reminded us all of the dangers that overcrowded leisure settings can represent. Systems need to be put into place to reduce congestion – particularly in the washrooms where long queues tend to form. And stadiums are notorious for their poor toilet facilities.
One survey commissioned by Tork and carried out by IPSOS revealed that unpleasant, unhygienic washrooms were a major bugbear for stadium visitors. Poor washroom provision was actually a bigger issue for many respondents than factors such as crowd disorder, long queues at the gate and low quality food and drink.
More than 70% of survey respondents claimed to have had a bad washroom experience at a stadium at one time or another– although only 37% had told a friend or family member about it, and a mere 11% had brought their complaint to the attention of staff.
This means there are many people out there who are quietly fuming about the sub-standard washroom provision they have encountered at a stadium.
In a second study of 1,000 respondents it emerged that 44% of arena visitors tended to avoid using the washrooms at all when attending an event, whilst 20% said they deliberately refrained from drinking to prevent them from having to use the loo.
Abstaining from fluids can lead to dehydration and other health conditions. And when people turn their backs on the bar, the venue in question’s profits will inevitably slump.
Stadium managers depend heavily on the income they gain from concession stands in these cash-strapped times, so if visitors choose to shun them this could spell disaster for the venue’s bottom line.
So, what is going wrong in the stadium washroom? The problem lies in the sheer volume of people who all want to use the washrooms at once – either before or after the event or during the interval.
These peaks in traffic lead to maintenance issues for cleaners while also putting pressure on supplies of toilet paper, hand towels and soaps. And when consumables run out, people will be forced to wait in line for those cubicles and sinks where supplies are still in place.
As queues start to form, frustration will mount - and angry people are likely to show less respect for their surroundings which means vandalism might occur.
After a lengthy wait to use the loo, some visitors might be tempted to carry out a cursory hand wash so that they can hurry back to their seats. This will result in poor hygiene outcomes while people might also leave behind messy sinks, running taps and discarded hand towels in their haste to leave the facilities.
So the entire washroom experience will have been marred by queues, messy units, unruly behaviour and run-outs of paper and soap. This will result in dissatisfied customers who may choose to avoid visiting that particular stadium in future.
How do managers turn this picture around and equip their washrooms to reduce queues, minimise run-outs and improve the customer experience?
High capacity washroom units that naturally reduce consumption will minimise the risk of dispensers running out between maintenance checks. All units should be quick to refill and easy to use to prevent the formation of queues and logjams. And the dispensers should also be designed to reduce the risk of waste and mess.
Soap bars and bulk-fill soaps often result in sticky soap residues left behind on the basins while C-fold towels – which tend to come out of the dispenser in clumps – will lead to soggy discarded towels on the units and floors. And conventional toilet rolls are all too easy to throw around, leave on the floor to become soggy or drop down the toilet. These scenarios will lead to blockages, waste and mess.
The Tork SmartOne Twin Mini Toilet Roll System works well in stadiums because it comes in a lockable dispenser that delivers one sheet of paper at a time. This helps to prevent runouts, vandalism and blockages while also reducing usage by up to 40%. A new roll can be inserted at any time to ensure a continuous supply and the SmartCore core removal system enables fast and easy refilling for staff.
Tork Foam Soaps are another good option for large, busy venues because the dispenser contains 2,500 shots of soap per refill compared with around 1,000 in most liquid soap systems. This helps to prevent run-outs and ensure a long-lasting supply.
38 | TOMORROW’S FM
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