Ebook HandHygiene General
Ebook HandHygiene General
Ebook HandHygiene General
HAND HYGIENE
Dive deeper into hand hygiene, one of the most
important processes for every individual to embrace
2
Introduction
In this eBook, we explore hand hygiene, one of the most
important processes for everyone to embrace. In this
eBook we compare the most commonly used handwashing
methods, review the importance of skin health for hand
hygiene, and explore how to reinforce good hand hygiene
behaviors with employees.
Table of Contents
Hand Hygiene Methods Compared..................... 3
• Manual Handwashing........................................................ 6
• Semi-Automated Handwashing........................................ 9
• Automated Handwashing................................................ 12
• Hand Dip Pan / Buckets.................................................. 15
• Instand Hand Sanitizers.................................................... 16
Hand Drying Methods........................................... 18
• Paper Towel........................................................................ 19
• Air Dryers............................................................................ 20
Skin Health........................................................... 21
• Soap and Sanitizer Cautions............................................. 23
• Moisturizing....................................................................... 23
Creating a Culture of Hand Hygiene..................... 24
• Uphold Personal Hand Hygiene Standards...................... 25
• Stay Aware of Contamination Points............................... 26
• Keep Hand Hygiene Part of the Conversation................. 27
• Ensure Everyone Thinks Like an Owner............................ 28
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SECTION
Hand Hygiene
Methods Compared
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Benefits:
• Low cost
• Familiar system to all
Potential Concerns:
Manual handwashing sinks serve as a fair low-cost option that is familiar to all. No matter the style, the
mechanics of these main types of manual handwashing sinks are essentially the same:
Manual Faucet Sinks Knee or Foot-Pedal Sinks Multi-User Fountain or Trough Sinks
Unfortunately, while these systems may be familiar, that does not mean that most people know how to
wash their hands correctly in them, or will do it properly every time.
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2. Apply soap
3. Lather your hands
4. Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. (Need a timer?
Hum or sing “Happy Birthday” from beginning to end twice.)
Benefits:
• Low cost
• Familiar system to most
• Fewer touch points reduce cross-contamination
risk
Potential Concerns:
Another potential pitfall of touchless faucets and soap dispensers lies within the limited or excessive use of water and
solutions. While touchless faucets can be set to operate for a particular period of time, such as 20 seconds, to encourage a
more thorough wash, this can also lead to considerable waste. Most of the water used may not even come into contact with
hands during the washing process.
If not too much water, there could also be the case of low flow or limited water pressure from semi-automated faucets. Some
semi-automated faucets do not flow enough water for a long enough period of time to rinse the hands thoroughly. This results
in soap and pathogens not being effectively rinsed away and, unlike a manual sink, users cannot increase the water flow of
semi-automated sinks to ensure effective pathogen removal.
Learn More
12
Benefits:
• 12-second wash time for high-throughput
• Easy compliance monitoring
• Automation ensures reliable and consistent results
• Clinically-validated to remove more than 99.9% of
pathogens for each and every handwash
• Up to 75% water savings compared to traditional
handwashing - only 0.6 gallons per hand wash
• Quick and easy to use for training
• Soap empty indication
Potential Concerns:
lightbulb-on Discover
Not only is it important to select the right hand washing method for your facility, it’s important to validate
its efficacy for pathogen removal. One of the methods Meritech uses to validate the efficacy of CleanTech®
Automated Handwashing Stations is the ASTM standard E1174 or “Glove Juice” method.
Benefits:
• Low cost
• Does not require a water source
Potential Concerns:
While this method may seem appealing because it is quick and does not require a water source to rinse off surface soils, it actually
presents added risk. Because these are typically static bins, if sanitizing chemicals are not closely monitored and replaced often it
is unlikely that the appropriate chemical concentration level (PPM) of sanitizer in these hand dip pans or buckets is effective against
pathogens. Irregular maintenance may contribute even further to the transfer and proliferation of pathogens as they remain in the hand
dip pan or bucket and be spread from one employee’s hands to another. Overall, hand dip stations are not a substitute for handwashing,
and it is recommended that if this method is still used, management replace it with a more effective handwashing station.
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Benefits:
• Low cost
• Does not require water source
• Quick / high throughput
• Easy to use and train new users
• Mobile / portable
Potential Concerns:
One of the obvious pitfalls of sanitizers, is that they do not remove soils and debris. Instant sanitizers are not a substitute for
handwashing and not recommended for use in facilities producing products high in protein, fat or other soils that cannot be
easily removed from hands. These soils can substantially interfere with the effectiveness of alcohol gels, as instant sanitizers
are intended to kill pathogens on hands that are free of debris.
Essentially, hand sanitizers are intended to kill pathogens with a high concentration of alcohol. This high alcohol concentration
can result in dehydrated skin much more quickly than washing hands with soap and water. Chronic overuse of sanitizers can
lead to irritation and cracked skin, which actually increases the possibility of infection from pathogens.
These adverse effects on skin health can even discourage proper hand hygiene practices by team members, so if it is necessary
to use a hand sanitizer, staff should be provided with moisturizing products to rehydrate the skin in break areas. We recommend
educating staff on the 4x4 rule or using lotion on the hands 4 times a day every 4 hours (i.e. 8am, 12pm, 4pm and 8pm).
Paper Towels
Many facilities offer paper towels as the
final step in a hand hygiene protocol. The
quality and cost of these towels can vary
widely, but many plants supply their workers
with inexpensive brown craft paper towels.
While cheap, these products are abrasive
and can cause skin irritation.
Air Dryers
Facilities may choose to avoid the use of paper
towels entirely and instead install air dryers.
While notorious for being eco-friendly, hand
dryers still come with significant environmental
cost as they require considerable electricity
to use. Not only does this electricity add to
operating costs, but these dryers also pose
significant safety risks.
Skin Health
While handwashing is a critical component of hand hygiene, skin health is equally as important and often goes overlooked. Skin
is our largest organ and protects the body from the environment and infection. There are both resident and transient pathogens
on the skin. Resident pathogens are natural to our skin and are helpful microorganisms that protect us from infection. Transient
pathogens like Listeria monocytogenes and E. coli can cause infection and risk to consumers, but can be removed by proper
handwashing. Overall, skin is crucial to our health and needs to be protected with good hand hygiene practices.
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Skin Health
Moisturizing
Dry hands are a threat to overall skin health as cracks in
our hands give pathogens the perfect place to hide and
flourish. Therefore, it’s critical to protect employee hands
from the dehydrating effects of excessive washing and
sanitizing. Providing moisturizers in break areas not
only will bring comfort to employee hands, but also help
replenish skin oils that protect and heal dry, cracked
hands.
4
SECTION
Creating a
Culture of
Hand Hygiene
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Stay Aware of
Contamination Points
There’s a lot to remember when it comes to hand
hygiene. To maintain your facility’s employee hygiene
culture, it’s key to continually reinforce good PPE
behaviors and remind employees to avoid potential
contamination touch points including:
• Putting PPE on the right way and following
proper donning order in hygiene zones to ensure
hands are clean before entering production
areas
• The proper way to put on gloves, how to check
gloves for damage or deterioration before
starting a shift, and when to replace gloves
throughout the day
• How adjusting PPE such as hairnets and smocks
are a contamination touch point and that a hand
question-circle Gloves are not a substitute for hand hygiene. Tears or punctures can easily cause
pathogen spread if hands are not cleaned prior to donning gloves. Gloves can
• The various surfaces that when touched, need a
hand hygiene event afterwards such as buttons,
door handles, and handrails
also serve as incubators for pathogens if employees’ hands are contaminated • Human behaviors and unconscious actions to
when they don them. Workers should always be provided with hand washing be aware of such as scratching your nose or
stations and follow proper hand hygiene and drying procedures before donning eyes or even re-tying shoelaces that require a
gloves. hand hygiene event afterwards
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Huddle Talks
Before each shift, during huddle talks, it is important that team leaders highlight good hand hygiene behaviors with
their teams. Reminding everyone of the basics or calling out good or bad behaviors seen that week helps reinforce
handwashing best practices.
While team members may not be directly in charge of the cleaning and
maintenance of handwashing stations, it’s important that they stay aware of
station conditions. Hand hygiene stations should always contain adequate
supplies, including soap and paper towels to meet shift demands. If the
station is dirty, in need of supplies or the water pressure is too low to
perform a proper hand hygiene event, team members should quickly advise
management to fix the situation in order to ensure consumer safety.
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Conclusion
Overall, effective hand hygiene is at the core
of hygiene best practices, and employees
are on the front lines in the fight against
contamination from pathogens. Hand
hygiene is the one variable that is dependent
upon each member of your team, so it’s
important that each person has pride in
contributing to the overall safety and health
of your consumers through proper hand
hygiene. It is also important to take steps
to implement this culture among your team
and design your facility with handwashing
stations that reduce the spread of pathogens.
Learn more handwashing tips and get useful
hand hygiene tools and guides to share with
your team at Meritech’s hygiene resource
center.
Your Partner in Hygiene Excellence