Hand Hygiene
A guide to good practice and why it’s so important
It is widely agreed that good hand hygiene is regarded as the single most important factor in reducing the spread of germs and disease, and yet it is a task that often gets overlooked with many people not washing their hands as frequently as they should or using inadequate techniques to wash and dry hands.
Did you know?
After using the restroom a single hand can have a population count of over 200 million bacteria per sq. inch, and yet research shows that approximately 50% of men and 25% women do not wash their hands after using the toilet!
As a society we are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of good hand-hygiene in the fight to reduce the spread of germs. Ongoing media coverage on problems such as MRSA in hospitals has highlighted the need to get the basics right and to educate people of the need to maintain good hand hygiene. The effects of bad hygiene tend to be more severe in hospitals, but this problem is not restricted to hospital wards; it is a collective problem that offices, schools, restaurants and factories must act upon by providing the adequate facilities to encourage good hand hygiene and help prevent the spreading of germs.
When to Wash Hands
Hands should be washed regularly throughout the day to help prevent the spread of germs, but especially under the following circumstances:
Before
- Caring for the sick
- Caring for the elderly or babies
- Preparing food
- Eating
- Starting work; particularly if you work in the health sector or will be handling food
- Putting in/removing contact lenses
Between
- Handling raw foods (meat, fish, poultry and eggs) and touching any other food or kitchen utensils
After
- Using the restroom
- Coughing or sneezing
- Handling raw foods (meat, fish, poultry and eggs)
- Caring for the sick
- Emptying the bins
- Changing nappies
- Handling animals
- Gardening
How to thoroughly wash and dry your hands
It may seem obvious how to wash your hands, but many of us do not use the correct technique to and leave some areas of the hand containing bacteria. Simply rinsing your hands under cold water isn’t good enough!
Hand hygiene facts
- After using the restroom a single hand can have a population count of over 200 million bacteria per sq. inch
- It takes just seconds for a hand to become contaminated by touching
- Hand to hand transmission is the main mode of transmission for infections such as MRSA and Clostridium and a significant factor in spreading diseases such as Salmonella, E-Coli and Hepatitis A
- The UK has a foodborne illness infection rate of 3,400 per 100,000 head of population or 2 million cases of foodborne illness every year.
- 70% of these come from food service operations
- 40% of these are as a result of poor hand hygiene and cross contamination
- Damp hands spread 1000 times more bacteria than dry hands
- Bacteria can stay alive on hands for up to 3 hours
Why wash and dry hands?
- The most common way germs are spread is by people’s hands. Germs are often harmless but they can also cause illnesses such as colds, flu, tummy bugs and other more serious bacterial infections.
- Washing your hands properly with soap and warm water is the single most important thing you can do to help reduce the spread of infections and help protect you, your family, your colleagues and those around you.
- Drying your hands thoroughly with a lightly abrasive hand towel further reduces the risk of germs spreading from wet or damp hands.
Paper versus warm air drying
When it comes to hygiene, there is only one choice between paper versus warm air drying systems, the facts speak for themselves…
- Electric devices increase bacteria levels by 162%
- Paper drying decrease bacteria levels by 29%
- Hot air driers draw in the air from the immediate environment and re-circulate it in a more concentrated form. The bacteria present in the air are then blown directly onto the hands, face, clothes and hair.