During the season of sniffles, sneezes, coughing and wheezes, we need to be more mindful of the basics of keeping our hands clean.
As industry professionals that have hundreds of individuals of all ages walking in/out of our doors, we need to take the necessary measures to keep everyone healthy so they can return day after day.
A simple way to protect our immune system and help keep everything we touch clean, is to properly wash our hands and disinfect whenever possible.
3 Ways to Encourage Hygienic Practices in Hand Washing
1. Hang up clear signage
Simple reminders of when building occupants should wash their hands can be effective. Put up clear signage in restrooms, breakrooms and other high-traffic areas to remind people to wash their hands after coughing or sneezing, before and after they prepare food, and after using the restroom.
Signage can even include tips on how to wash your hands properly:
· Lukewarm water and soap for 20-30 seconds
· Scrub on all sides, under fingernails and between fingers
· Shake your hands in the sink before drying with a paper towel. The shaking helps eliminate needing to use multiple paper towels.
2. Put out hand sanitizer
In places where soap and water aren’t typically available, put out hand sanitizer dispensers in clearly visible locations – near entrances of buildings and rooms to ensure occupants and visitors will be more likely to sanitize their hands. A study from the Journal of the America Osteopathic Association shows that optimizing dispenser placement increases usage by more than 50%.
3. Evaluate your restroom dispenser placement
In some restrooms where you wash your hands you have to walk all the way across the restroom to get a paper towel, having proper placement of dispensers will minimize dripping water across the floor, which will minimize hazards and increase safety. Make sure paper towel dispensers are at an optimum distance from sinks while being near the exit. That way, people can turn off the faucet, grab the door handle as they’re going out with a paper towel, then dispose of it in the garbage bin nearby.
According to the CDC, the simple act of hand washing can prevent 20% of respiratory infections such as the common cold and the flu. It’s also the single most effective way to reduce the spread of illness.
Happy Hand Washing!
