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Killing germs with kindness

03 July 2023

Chris Wakefield highlights the importance of protecting skin health in a hand hygiene programme.

One of the greatest challenges in a food processing plant is controlling the ingress and spread of harmful bacteria. Bacteria, viruses, and parasites can be transmitted from person to person and from person to food, so as well as a thorough cleaning regime, the health and hygiene of the workforce is important. 

Hand hygiene is a critical aspect of food safety and should be a manufacturer’s first line of defence against food contamination. This may sound simple enough, but in practice compliance can be problematic. An increasingly common barrier to managing Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles is skin irritation and dermatitis. This is perhaps unsurprising, given the number of people who consider themselves to have sensitive skin. One study found that between 60 and 70% of women and 50 and 60% of men reported having it to some degree. 

Dermatitis and skin irritation is more than just mild discomfort. The skin may start to itch, become dry, sore and red, and develop small blisters, cracks and erosions. Damaged skin is also more susceptible to colonisation by transient micro-organisms. This, in turn, increases the risk for transfer of potentially pathogenic micro-organisms.

If workers believe that the soaps and sanitisers provided are going to cause skin irritation and dryness, or will aggravate their condition further, then they will abandon best practice altogether. This creates a cycle of non-compliance and increases the risk of contamination, the result of which can lead to the shutdown of the plant as well as financial penalties.

Getting it right 
It makes good sense to carefully consider hand hygiene products. The solutions must be virucidal and have short contact times because many people do not spend very long cleaning their hands. They must also have been tested to ensure that they are safe for use in handling and passed international food taint testing standard EN 4120.

Coming a close second to antimicrobial and antiviral efficacy is the effect its formulation has on skin health. Opt for products that are enriched with moisturisers. 

Invest in staff training in the correct hand hygiene procedures. In addition to knowing the most effective techniques for cleaning hands, they need to understand the importance of rinsing and drying them thoroughly. If this is not done properly, a soap residue will remain on the hands and contribute to skin damage. Furthermore, incomplete rinsing will result in active viruses remaining on the hands. 

Water can also act as a potential irritant, which may penetrate relatively easily through the outermost layer of the skin (stratum corneum). Frequent exposure to water causes swelling and shrinking of the stratum corneum, which can lead to dermatitis.

There is also value in supplying hand cream. Applying a moisturising lotion to the skin rehydrates and replenishes oils, restoring its ability to maintain the hydration level essential for its proper function. 

The risk of contamination can be further reduced by providing an additional opportunity to clean hands. Providing sanitisers, that have been proven to maintain skin health, to use after handwashing can help catch any underlying bacteria as well as any areas that were not thoroughly scrubbed. This is particularly beneficial in washrooms, since, if people have not washed their hands properly, they can spread germs onto the door handle and the other surfaces that they touch when they leave the room. Research has revealed that one single contaminated door handle can infect up to 60% of the occupants of a building within just four hours. 

Positioning a sanitising dispenser by the exit door, between 36in to 46in above the floor, on the handle side, is the perfect height to trigger healthy hand hygiene behaviour and prevent the transmission of bacteria from door handles and, potentially, into the food production area.

Striking a balance
By taking steps to create a hand hygiene programme that kills bacteria and viruses effectively, while improving occupational skin health, food production businesses can foster a positive user experience. In turn, they will find that hand hygiene compliance will rise, minimising the risk of both skin irritation and cross-contamination. 

Chris Wakefield is Managing Director UK & Ireland, GOJO Industries-Europe.


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