Hand hygiene is an essential aspect of workplace safety. It not only prevents infectious diseases but also ensures a safer and more efficient working environment. From ordinary colds to severe diseases, germs spread quickly, causing problems like absenteeism, lower productivity, or possibly severe health consequences. This blog will outline the importance of hand hygiene and best practices to ensure a healthier workplace for everyone.
Why Hand Hygiene Matters in the Workplace?
The workplace is an active setting where individuals share many surfaces and equipment. Poor hand hygiene can promote the spread of germs, viruses, and other microorganisms that cause colds, flu, and even more severe infections such as norovirus or COVID-19. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, proper hand hygiene is the simplest and most effective way to prevent infections.
Proper hand hygiene helps to:
- Reduce the Spread of Sickness: Good hand hygiene practices drastically reduce the transmission of diseases and pathogenic organisms.
- Improve Employee Well-being: Workers who are aware that good hygiene standards are followed are better off and feel more secure.
- Minimise Absenteeism: A decline in the spread of sickness reduces absenteeism and, as such, increases efficiency at work in general.
- Offer a Good Work Environment: Showing concern for health and hygiene encourages a kind and caring attitude among employees at the workplace.
Best Practices for Workplace Hand Hygiene
Following best practices to effectively maintain the hygiene of hands:
- Regular Hand-Washing
Hand washing with soap and water is still the best way of cleaning the hands, that removes dust, bacteria, and viruses from hands. Staff members should wash their hands quite frequently, especially:
- Before consuming food or handling it
- After using the restroom
- After coughing or sneezing or blowing the nose
- After touching joint surfaces like door handles, keyboards, or office equipment
- After handling garbage or disposal
- Proper Technique for Hand-Washing
Wet your hands with clean running water, and turn off the tap. Apply sufficient soap to cover all hand surfaces. Rub hands together; develop a lather that covers the backs of hands, between fingers, and under nails. Scrub for at least 20 seconds. Rinse under running water. Dry with a clean towel or air dryer.
- Use of Hand Sanitisers
When soap and water are not available, hand sanitisers are an easy alternative. For effectiveness, use an alcohol-based hand sanitiser containing at least 60% alcohol. Sanitisers do not kill all types of germs, however, especially when hands are visibly dirty or greasy.
- Appropriate Use of Hand Sanitisers
Apply enough sanitiser onto the palm of one hand.
Rub hands together, covering all surfaces, including between fingers and under nails, until hands are dry (about 20 seconds).
- Employee Education and Training
Building habits through regular training and reminders is necessary to maintain an appreciation for proper hand hygiene. Workshops, posters, and electronic reminders will help keep hygiene practices at the top of one’s mind.
- Create a Clean Working Environment
A clean working environment promotes hygienic behaviour. Frequently clean high-touch surfaces such as keyboards, phones, door handles, and shared office equipment. Encourage your employees to keep their workspaces tidy and supply disinfecting wipes and cleaning supplies in every corner of the office.
- Provide Hygiene Supplies Adequately
Of course, employees must have access to all of the hygiene supplies necessary. These include:
Stock bathrooms with soap, running water, and paper towels or air dryers. Place hand sanitiser around high-traffic areas such as entrances, meeting rooms, and break rooms. Provide disinfectant wipes to clean shared work areas and individual desks.
- Promote Personal Hygiene Etiquette
Personal hygiene is much more than washing your hands. Encourage employees to:
Cover their cough or sneeze with a tissue or their elbow, not their hands. Avoid touching their face, especially their eyes, nose, and mouth.
Stay at home when not feeling well to avoid infecting others.
- Monitoring and Enforcement
Monitoring for compliance is an indispensable part of sustaining quality hygiene. Managers must set a good example to encourage better hand hygiene practices among their subordinates. It would also be nice if there were feedback mechanisms, such as suggestion boxes, through which employees could address their concerns or suggestions regarding hygiene practices.
- Enact Workplace Policies on Health and Safety
Have explicit policies that communicate especially clearly the importance of hand hygiene and general health. Policies may include:
- Compulsory hand-washing breaks during the workday
- Requirements for hand hygiene before and after specific activities, like food preparation or the use of shared equipment.
- Opportunities to work from home or to have flexible sick leave to minimise contagion
Overcoming Barriers to Good Hand Hygiene
These might be possible barriers that stand in the way of proper hand hygiene: busy work schedules, lack of supplies, or employee resistance. Meet these challenges by:
- Making Hand Hygiene Accessible: Make hand sanitisers accessible and ensure that washrooms are well-stocked.
- Creating a Positive Culture: Recognise and reward good hygiene habits of noting employees serving as a good example.
- Overcoming Time Constraints: Training employees on quick, easy methods of hygiene and incorporating hand hygiene into rituals, such as before meetings or breaks.
The Role of Employers in Promoting Hand Hygiene
Employers have a crucial role in ensuring effective hand hygiene practices. By prioritising employee health, providing the necessary resources, and creating an enabling environment, employers can help reduce the spread of illness at workplaces.
Critical Actions for Employers:
Provide regular training and updates on hygiene practices.
Regularly check hygiene supplies and re-supply when needed.
Lead by example; have management follow and promote the standards of hygiene.
Put in place mechanisms for feedback to continually improve hygiene practices.
Conclusion
Hand hygiene is a simple but powerful tool for maintaining a healthy workplace. Businesses can minimise the spread of infection by following best practices, including frequent hand washing, the use of hand sanitisers, educating employees, and environmental cleaning. By addressing hand hygiene concerns, employers will also protect the health of their workers and create a better environment for all. Working together, employers and employees can create a culture of cleanliness.
