PRODUCT FOCUS: CLEANING
WINTER WELLNESS BEGINS IN THE WASHROOM
Something as simple as increasing the frequency and effectiveness of hand washing can have a big impact on public health. Chris Wakefield, Vice President of European Marketing & Product Development at GOJO Industries-Europe Ltd, explains how you can influence better hand hygiene.
Each winter, infection rates rise as millions of people contract influenza (flu), norovirus, and other common colds and viruses. In fact, this season, these notorious germs have hit particularly hard. Norovirus has closed schools and hospital wards, whilst a rise in flu deaths and patients admitted to hospital triggered a government alert to GPs back in December.
Germs can spread quickly and easily in closed environments where people come into constant contact with each other. Not only are these illnesses unpleasant for the sufferer, they can have a big impact on businesses, as productivity levels fall when staff take time off to recover. For leisure, hotel, restaurant, or hospitality establishments, outbreaks of infection can tarnish their reputations.
The truth is that no setting can escape the risk of infection entirely. However, something as simple as increasing the frequency and effectiveness of hand washing can have a big impact on health, especially at this time of year.
Hundreds of studies have proved that good hand hygiene can break the chain of infection, yet research regularly highlights that not enough people wash their hands or wash them properly when visiting the washroom. FM managers are, therefore, in a prime position to help promote wider health and wellness by influencing good hand hygiene.
Making behaviour change happen To successfully drive hygienic behaviour, a combination of approaches is required. Having the right washroom systems and products is crucial. The most successful will combine information campaigns with accessible and easy-to-use dispensers, equipped with effective formulations.
Consider how people will move around the space and fit equipment in the appropriate places. Users are far more likely to abandon recommended hygiene practices in cramped and congested conditions.
Installing slim, wall-mounted dispensers, which do not protrude far from the wall can be of significant benefit in both aesthetic and practical terms. They prevent people from having to squeeze past each other to reach equipment, especially useful in smaller washrooms. Touch-free soap dispensers also improve the flow of people through the room – and have higher hygiene ratings too, automatically sensing the presence of hands.
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Technologically advanced formulations are essential. They must be both effective against germs, yet gentle to skin. If using hygienic hand rubs, choose one which is at least 70% ethyl-alcohol which has been clinically proven to kill germs within seconds.
If people have not washed their hands properly, they can spread germs onto the door handle and other surfaces that they touch when they leave the washroom. Research has revealed that one single contaminated door handle can infect up to 60% of the occupants of a building within just four hours. It is therefore a good idea to place a hand sanitiser dispenser by the washroom exit, offering a much-needed additional opportunity for hand hygiene.
Finally, placing eye-catching posters can help increase hand hygiene compliance. They are effective prompts, reminding people to wash or sanitise hands and illustrating the correct technique.
By making the right decisions on the equipment chosen and its positioning in the washroom, FM managers can take great strides in reducing the spread of winter bugs, and ultimately help create a healthier environment.
FM managers can download free materials, including awareness-raising signage from
www.winter-wellness.eu, a website dedicated to boosting winter wellness.
www.GOJO.com
twitter.com/TomorrowsFM
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