Over the years, I have experienced various work environments. The one common thing I realized was the amount of germs people were spreading to one another, yet in the same breath saying “I can’t believe all these people are out sick?”. You probably wouldn’t think that something so simple as washing your hands would prevent such a mess in your workplace, but it does.
During my clinical rotations as a nurse, I got to spend more time learning about this very issue. I also got to see just how important spending that extra 15 seconds was to keeping everyone healthy and productive in the workplace.
I challenge you to just sit back for a moment and pay attention to everything that you do, everything that you touch. Be conscious about what it all really means. It may mean that you get your co-worker sick because you borrowed his computer for just one minute, it may mean that you got sick because the person you just shook hands with forgot to wash his hands after he blew his nose. The possibilities are endless to how sick someone can get when they don’t wash their hands.
Hand washing is a professional responsibility that should be done routinely in the workplace. A recent survey by the American Society for Microbiology revealed many people are not washing their hands. Americans wash their hands 83% of the time after using the restroom, 77% of the time before handling food, 32% of the time after coughing or sneezing, and only 21% of the time after handling money.
According to the CDC, the single most important thing we can do to keep from getting sick and spreading illness to others is to clean our hands.
Infectious diseases, many of which are spread by unclean hands, remain the leading cause of death and disease worldwide and the third-leading cause of death in the United States.
Hand washing is a professional responsibility that should be done routinely in the workplace.
Hand washing is a simple habit, something most people do without thinking. Yet hand washing, when done properly, is one of the best ways to avoid getting sick.
If you don't wash your hands frequently enough, you can infect yourself with these germs by touching your eyes, nose or mouth. And you can spread these germs to others by touching them or by touching surfaces that they also touch, such as doorknobs.
When someone is infected with a cold or flu, everything they touch throughout the day becomes germ transfer points, with some germs being able to survive and multiply on a surface for 72 hours or longer in some cases. We end up passing these germs along to those we work with, infecting them up to a day before they even show any signs or symptoms of having been infected.
According to the CDC, unwashed or poorly washed hands are a very common way of spreading colds, flu, ear infections, strep throat, hepatitis A, meningitis and intestinal problems. Germs are spread by using other peoples pens, staplers, telephone receivers, copy machines, desks, computer keyboards and mice, shaking hands, etc.
The key to a workplace improving hand washing is to have better encouragement from their employers.
The CDC estimates that 10-20 percent of Americans come down with the flu during each flu season, which typically lasts from November to March.
Recommendations: When to Wash Hands at the Workplace
- Each time you use the restroom
- After blowing your nose, sneezing or coughing
- Before and after staff meetings if food is served
- After scanning newspapers or magazines in your break room
- Before and after your lunch
- After using your friend's keyboard or tools
- Before and after a meet and greet activity in your office
- When using shared office equipment like faxes, phones, etc.
- More frequently if someone else in your office is sick
Follow these instructions for washing with soap and water:
- Wet your hands with warm, running water and apply liquid soap or use clean bar soap. Lather well.
- Rub your hands vigorously together for at least 15 to 20 seconds.
- Scrub all surfaces, including the backs of your hands, wrists, between your fingers and under your fingernails.
- Rinse well.
- Dry your hands with a clean or disposable towel.
- Use a towel to turn off the faucet.
Thank you for investing this time to explore workplace safety with me. I am always available to help you with your specific workplace safety and employee health concerns.
Sincerely,
April Eppley
Bortek Industries, Inc. Infection Control Nurse
