Illness in the workplace not only affects service delivery and the bottom line, it can also damage
customer relationships and employee morale. Suzanne De Maine explains why making hand hygiene a
priority throughout a busine
Illness in the workplace not only affects service delivery and the bottom line, it can also damage
customer relationships and employee morale. Suzanne De Maine explains why making hand hygiene a
priority throughout a business can reduce the substantial risks posed by the spread of infections
Absenteeism through illness can
seriously damage the
profitability of a company,
because when employees are ill, they
can't work. This reduces productivity,
affects the level of service provided, and
erodes customer confidence and
satisfaction - while at the same time
putting additional pressure on
employees who have to pick up the work
of absent colleagues.
According to the Office for National
Statistics (ONS) 131 million days were lost
due to sickness absences in the UK in
2011. It goes on to say that around 27.4
million of the days lost were due to 'minor
illnesses', which includes things such as
coughs, colds and flu, sickness, nausea
and diarrhoea.
Opportunities for the spread of bugs
and viruses are everywhere. In research
conducted to coincide with Global Hand
Washing Day, which took place in
October 2011, scientists from the London
School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
and Queen Mary, University of London
announced an unpalatable and unpleasant
research finding - namely that one in six
mobile phones in Britain is contaminated
with faecal matter. Experts said that the
most likely reason for the potentially
harmful bacteria being present on so
many gadgets is people failing to wash
their hands properly with soap after using
the toilet.
On a more positive note, a report
published on the British Medical Journal
(BMJ) website at the beginning of May
this year showed that the 'Clean Your
Hands' campaign to improve hand
hygiene in hospitals in England and
Wales, co-ordinated by the National
Patient Safety Association, contributed to
a significant fall in the rates of 'superbug'
infections. The campaign was introduced
in all hospitals in June 2005 and, by 2008,
the report revealed that the total amount
of soap and alcohol gel purchased by
hospitals had trebled - and that during
the same period rates of MRSA more than
halved and C. difficile infections fell by
more than 40%.
Studies like these emphasise the
importance of good hand hygiene -
whether at work or at play - and to
encourage people to practise it, hand
hygiene products and dispensers should
be accessible, attractive and a pleasure to
use.
Encouraging good practice
Dispensers which look good will always
be more of a draw for the user. GOJO's
dispenser refills feature GOJO Controlled
Collapse bottles - a patent-pending
innovation, engineered to hold their shape
while emptying. The bottles remain flat to
the surface of the large sight windows at
the front of the units, making it easy to
monitor product levels at a glance, but in
a more aesthetically pleasing way.
Similarly, formulations that not only smell
and feel good on the skin - while also
delivering the highest hygiene standards -
will mean that people see hand washing as
an enjoyable experience rather than a
chore, and ultimately encourage use.
Dispensers that deliver soap or hygienic
hand rub automatically are also becoming
more popular, intuitively sensing the
presence of hands and dispensing just the
right amount of product every time. The
fact that they are 'touch-free' - like
GOJO's new LTX - also increases their
hygiene rating, doing away with another
surface to touch. GOJO helped to pioneer
the use of touch-free dispensers and is
now on its 'third generation' of designs,
using client feedback to continually
develop the range.
Hand hygiene doesn't start and finish in
the washroom. Installing hygienic hand
rub dispensers in key locations increases
visibility and encourages use. GOJO's
Purell Perfect Placement is a concept that
optimises the positioning of hand
sanitiser dispensers to prevent the spread
of germs in buildings. The scientificallyproven
theory involves placing dispensers
on walls by washroom exit doors between
36" to 46" above the floor - the perfect
height to trigger proper hand hygiene
behaviour and prevent the transmission of
germs from door handles.
Businesses and organisations differ
greatly, but the importance of maintaining
hand hygiene has the same implications
for all. By investing in the best hand
hygiene solutions, you protect your
business and demonstrate your
commitment to improving the well-being
of your employees and customers.
Suzanne De Maine is European
marketing manager for GOJO Europe
