Hygiene surveys show that people aren’t as careful about hygiene as they should be. What does that mean for FMs?
Washroom hygiene has been much in the news lately. Take the recent study by Michigan State University researchers which discovered only 5% of people who use the bathroom washed their hands long enough to kill the germs that can cause infections.
To make matters worse, 33% didn’t use soap and 10% didn’t wash their hands at all. Men were particularly bad at washing their hands correctly. The study, based on observations of 3,749 people in public restrooms, was published in the Journal of Environmental Health.
“These findings were surprising because past research suggested proper hand-washing is occurring at a much higher rate,” said Carl Borchgrevink, associate professor of hospitality business and lead investigator on the study.
According to reports, the study is one of the first to take into account factors such as duration of hand-washing and whether people used soap. Specific findings include that 15% of men didn’t wash their hands at all, compared with 7% of women; when they did wash their hands, only half of men used soap, compared with 78%.
Also, people were less likely to wash their hands if the sink was dirty. Hand-washing was more prevalent earlier in the day — Borchgrevink said this suggests people who were out at night for a meal or drinks were in a relaxed mode and hand-washing became less important.
Another finding was people were more likely to wash their hands if a sign encouraging them to do so was present. Borchgrevink, who worked as a chef and restaurant manager before becoming a researcher, said the findings have implications for consumers and those who operate restaurants and hotels.
So what do the experts suggest you should do if you’re worried about germs? It takes 15 to 20 seconds of vigorous hand-washing with soap and water to effectively kill germs, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says, yet the study found people are washing their hands, on average, for only about six seconds.
This wasn’t the first study to find such results. A scientific study for Global Handwashing Day back in October 2012 revealed one in 10 bank cards (10%) and one in seven notes (14%) were contaminated with faecal organisms.
To raise awareness of Global Handwashing Day, the study was carried out by researchers from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Queen Mary, University of London. It investigated levels of bacterial contamination on the hands, credit cards and currency of various sample sizes in East and West London, Birmingham and Liverpool. The research, sponsored by Radox Handwash, emphasised the importance of hand-washing with soap before eating and after using the toilet.
It revealed more than 25% of hands sampled showed traces of faecal contamination including bacteria such as E. coli. Alarmingly, out of the samples taken, 11% of hands, 8% of cards and 6% of notes showed gross contamination — ‘where the levels of bacteria detected were equal to that you would expect to find in a dirty toilet bowl’.
Those who participated in the study completed a questionnaire which showed only 39% of respondents washed their hands before eating. 91% of respondents said they washed their hands after using the toilet, although the surprising levels of faecal organisms contaminating the cards and currency suggest otherwise.
“Our research shows just how important handwashing is — the surprising levels of contamination we found on everyday objects is a sign people are forgetting to wash their hands after the toilet, one of the key moments for infection prevention,” said Dr Val Curtis, from London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, who leads the UK campaign for Global Handwashing Day said. “We hope people take the time to think about washing their hands with soap and make it a routine part of their daily lives.”
Back in September 2010, The Daily Telegraph reported on a study that said using a hand-dryer after washing your hands ‘is so unhygienic it might be better to not wash at all’. The newspaper said the moisture left after only partially drying your hands with an electric dryer makes the spread of bacteria more likely.
The study was carried out by researchers from the University of Bradford and the Microbiology Department of Dyson and was also funded by Dyson, the company that manufactures the ultra-rapid hand-dryer tested in the study. It was published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Applied Microbiology.
The study compared different hand-drying techniques in 14 volunteers who washed their hands in standard ways. It suggested ultra-rapid hand-dryers and conventional warm-air hand-dryers removed similar amounts of bacteria from the hands as long as the dryers were used for an adequate length of time.
In the first part of the study, the researchers found the average amount of bacteria transferred to the foil sheets after the ultra-rapid dryer was lower than after use of the conventional warm-air hand dryers used for 10 seconds or unassisted air drying for 10 seconds. There was no statistically significant difference in bacterial transfer after using the conventional dryers for 10 seconds and air drying hands for 10 seconds.
Using the conventional warm-air hand driers for their recommended amount of time (30-35 seconds) improved their performance, and the levels of bacteria transferred after drying in this way were not significantly different from after using the ultra-rapid dryer.
In the second part of the study, the researchers found if people rubbed their hands while using the conventional hand driers for 15 seconds, fewer bacteria were removed than if they kept their hands still during drying.
Ongoing maintenance of design-led washrooms can cause headaches for FMs tasked with keeping facilities in top condition
Washing in Style
Trevor Bowers, MD at washroom manufacturer Washroom Washroom, suggests maintenance shouldn’t be an afterthought but should instead be carefully considered at the earliest possible stage, and demonstrates how by specifying appropriate materials, future maintenance cycles can be minimised without compromising on design and style.
In environments such as schools and leisure centres where facilities will have to stand up to the rigours of a high level of traffic, opting for cubicles, lockers and benching manufactured from Solid Grade Laminate (SGL) can help keep future maintenance costs low and keep facilities looking pristine for longer.
Being durable, SGL provides a hygienic surface that is said to be easy to clean and is impervious to water, making it suitable for changing rooms and showers areas, as well as high traffic environments. The solid construction of SGL means with no substrate, it removes the need for independent edging which could come off, looking unsightly over time. Add to that the fact it’s also highly resistant to vandalism, SGL is perfectly suited to withstand the rigours of a school setting.
Solid Surface Corian is suitable for use on vanity units, particularly in high traffic areas. Corian can also be cut to any shape and joined with inconspicuous seams to produce a neat, unified appearance. It’s also said to be easy to clean, making it suitable for the health and education sectors.
The design possibilities are virtually limitless as Corian can be manufactured in a range of colours and patterns and can be cut to any shape. In one recent project, 4m long Corian vanity troughs were designed and manufactured with a slight slope in order to divert water directly into the central drain.
Another material that lends itself to the rigours of a high traffic washroom area while providing a unique design is Staron, which as well as being highly durable, is nonporous and stain-resistant. Manufactured with a blend of natural minerals and pure acrylic resin and available in a choice of 80 colours, Staron can be joined with no visible seams or crevices creating an integrated smooth finish, which — it is said — looks the part and is easy to clean and maintain.
The use of a specially designed integrated duct paneling system, which can be fitted onsite by means of a series of fixing clips, also helps reduce the costs associated with future maintenance in the washroom — planned or reactive. The duct panels, which have the added benefit of creating an attractive smooth finish making cleaning easier, allow for easy access should the need for maintenance and repairs occur. Fitted in sections, the system allows workers to easily access just the area where maintenance is required, so limiting disruption for end-users.
If the hands were kept still while using the conventional dryers, the amount of bacteria removed was similar to the amount removed using the ultra-rapid drier for all regions of the hand tested.
Using paper towels to dry the hands removed a similar amount of bacteria from the middle of the fingers as using the dryers, and removed more bacteria from the fingertips than the dryers, although it was not clear whether this difference was statistically significant.
NHS Choices said on its website at the time that while the Telegraph seemed to be implying that avoiding hand-washing may be a better idea, ‘this is unlikely to be the case, and the best option is likely to be simply washing and drying your hands thoroughly’.
Meanwhile, Kimberley-Clark Professional produced evidence that air-dryers harbour bacteria after observational research found everybody who uses jet-air dryers touches their surface one or more times during the hand drying process.
If their hands were to be contaminated during drying, bacteria could be carried out of the washroom and spread to others. Research has shown a virus can be transferred from one hand to another up to six times, while some viruses can live on a hard surface for up to eight hours.
The University of Westminster study featured in a scientific review of the literature relating to hand hygiene, which was published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings in August 2012. The authors evaluated 446 studies, of which 12 were identified as key — the University of Westminster study being one.
The review concluded that, from a hygiene standpoint, paper towels were superior to air dryers and should therefore be recommended especially in areas where hygiene is of paramount importance, for example hospitals and clinics.
“Taken together, this body of evidence demonstrates hand towels represent the most hygienic method for people to dry their hands after washing them,” said Jon Purdy, EMEA healthy workplace platform leader at Kimberley-Clark. “Good hygiene during drying is all about removing bacteria and maintaining a healthy environment — and paper towels tick those boxes.”
Nowhere is hygiene more important than in hospitals, and receives particular attention from the Association of Healthcare Cleaning Professionals (AHCP), the professional association for healthcare cleaning in the UK and Ireland. AHCP members are directly involved in managing and delivering cleaning and hygiene services in most NHS, state-funded and independent hospitals. Members also hold key roles in community hospitals, clinics and residential care and nursing homes provided by the public, charitable and independent sectors.
National chair Denise Foster recently called for the introduction of nationally recognised qualifications and training standards for all NHS cleaning staff as currently no vocational qualifications are required to work as a cleaner in the NHS. Many hospital cleaners start work with little knowledge or understanding of the complex processes involved.
In a keynote speech at the AHCP national conference she said: “As things stand at present, despite the many well-publicised cases, such as Mid-Staffordshire, and the huge advances in the sophistication and complexity of the tools and processes available… for maintaining cleanliness and hygiene in hospitals, it remains the case that anyone can be recruited as a healthcare cleaner without the need for any training in the increasingly complex protocols and processes involved.
“I now want to go further than I have before and lay down a challenge to (our) members, to the NHS, and to the government. It is my view no one should be able to work in healthcare cleaning without first achieving some level of basic professional qualification. Only by introducing minimum standards of training and knowledge of infection prevention and hygiene control will the objective of driving up standards of cleanliness in our hospitals, clinics and care homes be achieved.”
Given that washroom hygiene is such an important issue for FMs, we spoke to three experts in the field, asking them what technologies could help FMs with washrooms and hygiene.
Keri Reynolds, marketing manager for PHS Washrooms, said that in today’s competitive economic climate businesses have to look at their products and services with multi-tasking in mind. “Not only do they need to be of the highest quality and deliver excellent results, they must also help to save costs and energy — and advances in technology are now making this possible.”
Reynolds says using water more efficiently is a smart way for businesses to save energy and money, while also delivering on commitments to cut energy and resource wastage. “As well as the financial benefits, by demonstrating your company’s water efficiency you may attract more environmentally aware customers and employees who are attracted by your commitment to becoming ‘greener’.
WHAT TECHNOLOGIES CAN HELP FMs WITH HYGIENE?
ILARIA GENOVESE – TWYFORD BATHROOMS
There are many intelligent technologies designed to drastically optimise washroom hygiene. Now, more than ever, FMs must go beyond the standard product and take the time to research the market and invest in intelligent solutions which offer optimised hygiene and, in turn, peace of mind.
FAWN LITCHFIELD – MITSUBISHI JET TOWEL
An emerging technology driving a step change improvement in washroom hygiene is the high-speed hand-dryer such as jet towel hand-dryers. These drive moisture (and any attendant bacteria) down a drain which itself is made from anti-microbial material. A conventional hot-air dryer blows it around the room to settle where it will.
KERI REYNOLDS – PHS WASHROOMS
Investing in water efficient equipment can reap benefits – and some products help companies maintain hygienic washrooms while also significantly reducing water consumption. An example of those kinds of technology is water management systems that contain infrared detection technology to regulate the flushing of urinals.
“Investing in water efficient equipment can reap benefits — and some products help companies maintain hygienic washrooms while also significantly reducing water consumption. For example, water management systems that contain infrared detection technology to regulate the flushing of urinals, and water saving device helped The Lewis Partnership improve their environmental rating and reduce expenditure on water and sewerage at the same time.”
Fawn Litchfield, sales & marketing executive for Mitsubishi Jet Towel says the biggest worry in relation to washroom management has to be hygiene. “An unhygienic washroom will not reflect well on a FM, but far worse than that is the possibility of being found liable for causing illness.
“An emerging technology that is driving a step change improvement in washroom hygiene is the high-speed hand-dryer such as jet towel hand-dryers. These drives moisture (and any attendant bacterial) straight down into a drain which itself is made from anti-microbial material, compared to a conventional hot air dryer which blows it around the room to settle where it will.”
But Litchfield adds a word of warning: some makes of high-speed dryer don’t have a drain — they direct the moisture into a gutter, which has no alternative but to drip on to the floor, creating a microbial issue as well as an unsightly puddle and possibly slip hazards.
Ilaria Genovese, product manager at Twyford Bathrooms says washroom hygiene is the most important factor in reducing the spread of infection and cross-contamination in any working environment. “As such, FMs have a duty of care to ensure every possible measure is in place to maintain the highest level of washroom hygiene at all times.
“Product specification has a major part to play in this, with the bathroom market offering a raft of products specifically designed to aid washroom hygiene. There are many intelligent technologies designed to drastically optimise washroom hygiene. Now, more than ever, FMs must go beyond the standard product and take the time to research the market and invest in intelligent solutions which offer optimised hygiene and, in turn, peace of mind.”
