Hygiene and your business. What is the best way to maintain hygiene standards?
If proper hygiene is to be maintained at the workplace, each of us must also take care of our personal hygiene. One swallow doesn’t make a summer and therefore community hygiene is the way to go. This is especially true at a time when humanity is faced with an unprecedented coronavirus-related situation.
Hygiene standards is a crucial part of the efforts aimed at the prevention of accidents at work as well as occupational health and safety. This applies not only to industrial and production halls, but also to medical facilities, offices and outdoor work. Simply put - it concerns every job position. Hygiene in the workplace is mandatory for a good reason – through it, we can prevent various injuries or the spread of diseases. It is known that bacteria and viruses are found all around us and they are even present in our body. Bacteria make up even one kilogram of our. That is why it is so important to pay attention to the hygiene standards and cleanliness of the environment in which we work.
Disinfection
We all disinfect the bathroom and toilet regularly. However, there are places we may omit or they are hard to reach for us and bacteria on them multiply. The same goes for our office. It is important to disinfect the mouse and keyboard once a month. According to research by the British company Which? there are up to three times more bacteria on the keyboard than on the toilet seat. Research in 2012 showed that keyboards may feature E.coli or even staphylococcus. Of the 33 keyboards tested, 4 have been identified as being really dangerous to human health *. Another hidden danger is air conditioning. Air conditioning must be cleaned at least once a year as it is a perfect place for bacteria and unpleasant fungi. Last but not least, don't forget the buttons in the elevators, telephones and door handles.
Hand hygiene
It does not matter if you own a restaurant or a production hall, fully functional bathroom is a must for every business. Even though the number of toilets per number of employees is determined by law, you can provide quality hygiene service for your employees on top of your legal obligations. What do you have in mind, you might ask. We talk about sufficient number of soap dispensers, paper towels or hand dryers. All of these trivial things greatly contribute to workplace hygiene, provided that the staff observes hand hygiene principles. It is paper towels that ensure highest hygiene standards as they are thrown away immediately after use and bacteria have no chance of spreading. Recommended time for hand washing is 20 to 30 seconds. Then, rinse your hands with lukewarm water.
Did you know that your workplace hygiene can also be a competitive advantage in recruiting? Don't just wait for legislation to be adopted. Get out there and talk to your employees about hygiene standards, ask them questions and talk about options. Satisfaction of your employees comes first. After all, you invest in your business.
