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A helping hand for hygiene

24 June 2022

Chris Wakefield discusses how the introduction of the right products and systems can improve skin health, increase compliance, and boost operator productivity. 

An effective hand hygiene system is crucial to the success of any food processing plant. If just one employee does not follow proper hand washing or sanitising protocols, cross contamination can occur. This can lead to contaminated product, litigation, brand damage, and even complete shutdown of the facility. 

Good hand hygiene practice plays a critical role in keeping products and production lines safe, yet confusing product choices, increased skin sensitivity, and ‘coronavirus’ lethargy all conspire make compliance a challenge.

However, by reviewing the systems in place and making a few changes, food manufacturing facilities should be able to increase adherence – and productivity. 

The first thing to evaluate is the hand sanitiser product itself. There are three main considerations to manage here – effectiveness, skin health, and cost. Above all, it must have proven antimicrobial and antiviral efficacy and meet key industry standards EN14476, EN1500, and EN1276. It needs to be fast-acting too, as people do not always spend very long washing or sanitising their hands.

Skin health
Secondly, how does the chosen sanitiser impact skin health? One of the most common barriers to hand hygiene is skin irritation. If the balance of ingredients is not right, hands can quickly become dry or irritated, resulting in a poor user experience. Products that are too runny, too smelly, or that aggravate skin can put people off using the hand sanitisers provided, ultimately reducing compliance and increasing the risk of transmission of germs. It is important, therefore, to choose sanitisers that are enriched with nourishing agents and have been proven to maintain skin health.

Last but by no means least – especially in the current economic climate is the issue of cost. Do not be tempted to purchase on price alone. The Cleaning & Hygiene Suppliers Association (CHSA) recently issued a warning explaining that, against the backdrop of the escalating cost of raw materials and energy, those reducing prices are likely to compromise product quality and quantity. When it comes to hygiene in food manufacturing facilities, you cannot afford to cut corners or risk purchasing products that have no guarantee of meeting industry standards.  

Dispensers should be durable and robust enough to withstand harsh wash-down environments. They should also be intuitive and easy-to-use; touch-free dispensers can be a good choice as they are inherently hygienic – users don’t need to make physical contact for them to release the right amount of product. This also helps reduce product wastage.

Where dispensers are positioned is critical. They need to be integrated into site workflows, in highly visible locations – at the point of use, so that they are there ready for when operators need to use them. 

Personal hand hygiene should not start and end in the workspace. Opportunities for hand washing and sanitising should be available throughout the building – at entrances and exits, in washrooms, and in communal break areas. Support this with eye-catching visual signage, which acts as another reminder for operators to practise hand hygiene and helps support Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) programmes. 

Having the right products, ready to use at the point that they are needed will have a direct impact in influencing positive behaviour, helping hand hygiene to become second nature to everyone in the organisation. It requires everyone in the building to practise proper hand hygiene for it to be an effective infection prevention measure.

Chris Wakefield is managing director UK & Ireland, GOJO Industries-Europe.


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