Educate your workforce

GOJO is launching its hand hygiene programme at Interclean. Already successfully trialled in the US, it's now set to hit the UK
Hand hygiene expert GOJO is to exhibit at Interclean, where it will launch 'Workplace Wellness' a comprehensive new programme and toolkit to help stop germs spreading by hands in the workplace.
Comprising new recommended product regimes, educational materials and site visits,the new programme aims to provide a 'total and bespoke solution'to the enduring problem of inadequate hand hygiene.
Mike Sullivan, managing director of GOJO Industries Europe says managers have asked for the programme to help recapture some of the hand hygiene awareness that swine-flu generated but has since been forgotten.
“An average desk harbours over 10 million germs, but busy workers don't have time to wash their hands frequently throughout the day, allowing germs to spread easily from co-worker to co-worker. “More education and easy access to desktop sanitisers should be considered to help begin breaking the chain of workplace hand infection.”
Examining absenteeism
A study conducted by GOJO of employees at FedEx in Ohio, USA, aimed to examine the effectiveness of an alcohol-based hand sanitiser programme on reducing employee absenteeism.
Conducted over a 34 week period, it tested two different floors in the same building, with approximately 250 employees on each floor. One floor was asked to use PURELL Hygienic Hand Rub - along with an educational programme, and the other was not. The sample populations were comprised of similar 'white-collar' jobs, and the employees in each group did not largely interact with one another.
The study produced 'startling' results; of the test population, the observed absenteeism rate was 0.494 per 100 employee days, whereas the rate for the control population was 0.618 per 100 control employee days.
It concluded that the population who had been using the programme had absenteeism rates that were 21% lower than those who had not, indicating that employers could gain several valuable work days per year by implementing the system.
Education in the UK
The programme has been a success in the United States, and will now be rolled out to the UK in a bid to equip and educate companies to combat employee infection. Educational materials in the form of posters and a 'simple guide to effective hand hygiene'have been produced for companies to display or distribute to staff.
GOJO will offer further training for employers to filter through to staff and identify skincare needs or compliance issues faced by adopting a 'day in the life' approach.
“Employers have a duty to protect the health and safety of their staff and our new programme will help highlight any potential risks to employees,”ends Mike Sullivan. For more information on implementing a Workplace Wellness programme into your business please call the number below. (PURELL is a trademark of Diversey and is used under license).