Simple measures
June 1st 2011 In a world where there has never been greater focus on hand hygiene it can be
surprising that so many people still ignore its importance. Mike Sullivan discusses
what facilities managers can do to optimise hygiene in the washroom
It is almost frightening that with all the research showing the
powerful link between hand hygiene and infection, there are still
those who will apparently find it a chore to wash their hands.
According to a collaborative study by the American Society for
Microbiology and the Soap Detergent Association, one in four people
do not wash their hands before they leave toilet areas.Therefore two
things above all become essential: to accentuate hand hygiene
training, and to make the cleaning process as easy and straight
forward as possible.
It is the duty of facilities managers in particular to ensure that
precautions and equipment are in place and to do everything
possible to protect members of staff or the public from infection. In
any environment that sees a high volume of people using facilities, it
is widely known that sickness and germs can spread virulently.
Inevitably, sickness leads to absenteeism and reduced productivity.
This is especially important where hospitals, leisure and retail are
concerned as it can mean a damaged reputation and even legal
action.However with the correct positioning of dispensers, negative
behaviours become easier to influence.
Location, location, location
After its success in the USA, GOJO has now introduced PURELL
Perfect Placement in Europe, a concept aimed at optimising the
positioning of hand sanitiser dispensers to help prevent the spread of
germs throughout buildings. PURELL Perfect Placement is about
stopping germs from leaving the washroom by encouraging all users
to sanitise their hands. In my own experience, I see more and more
washroom users taking a paper towel to open the exit door because
they want to avoid contact with a potentially contaminated surface.
This GOJO programme ensures hands are sanitised directly before
making contact with door handles, giving germ-conscious users
more peace of mind and cleaner hands.The scientifically proven
theory shows that placing dispensers on walls by washroom exit
doors between 36" to 46"above the floor is the perfect height to
trigger proper hand hygiene behaviour and prevent the transmission
of germs from door handles.
Simple measures can be taken to ensure the health of the people
using washroom facilities. Obviously there are some washroom
configurations that might make dispenser placement difficult, but
facilities managers should be able to use their judgement in finding
the right location that offers optimum use.
The World Health Organisation recommends that one of the best
ways to prevent illness and infection is by washing your hands or
using an alcohol based gel, but the fact of the matter is lots of people
fail to do so, nor of course can companies force them to.
What companies can and must do, however, is provide the best
possible hand hygiene education and the best possible washroom
systems.That way they can be seen to have done their best, in
protecting the public, their staff and not least themselves.
Mike Sullivan is the managing
director of GOJO Industries-Europe More articles from Gojo Industries Europe Ltd: | 
