How to maintain good hand hygiene practice

Hand hygiene is the process of keeping your hands clean and safe from viruses. Regular hand washing, drying and sanitising will reduce the risk of respiratory infections such as the common cold and influenza by 16%. In addition, practising hand hygiene is a simple and effective way to prevent infections. It involves cleaning one hand potentially to reduce the spread of potential pathogens and other harmful microorganisms.

Hand hygiene reduces cross-contamination among washroom users and can decrease the bacteria present on hands by up to 80%. Therefore, promoting good hand hygiene within your business is vital in reducing cross-contamination within your workplace and helps reduce absenteeism.

Due to the pandemic, forming a habit of regularly cleaning your hands with a good-quality hand wash has become vital. There are a few ways to ensure good hand hygiene and ensure that you, your employees and customers are safe at all times.

Six times to regularly wash your hands

Regular and thorough washing of hands is crucial to keep yourself safe from viruses and other germs. Make sure to clean your hands with a good-quality hand wash or soap that can effectively help get rid of harmful bacteria. Here are the critical times when you must make washing hands a compulsion.

• Before, after, and during the process of preparing food
• While eating and finishing your meals
• After coming in coming in contact with cuts or wounds 
• After coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose
• While handling pet food and after coming touching garbage 
• After using the toilet and changing the diapers of children. 

Effective hand washing

Effective washing of hands involves using the right kind of soap for cleaning your hands. You can either use liquid soap or regular soap each time you wish to get rid of germ-filled hands. Here are a few tips for washing your hands the right way.

• Firstly, start by wetting your hands. 
• Take a sufficient quantity of soap and lather it for around 20 seconds.
• Thoroughly apply soap all over your hands from behind and front.
• After that, rinse your hands under running water to ensure that all the soap gets washed off. 
• Most importantly, after washing your hands under running weather, make sure to dry your hands with a clean towel.
• Make sure to use soap and weather rather than any alcohol-based sanitiser. 

Role of hand drying in hand hygiene 

We always emphasise the role of clean and hygienic hands. But the essential part of clean hands involves the process of hand drying. Hand drying plays a crucial role in maintaining a good hand hygiene regime. Drying your hands the right way will reduce the chances of cross-contamination and the risk of spreading infections.

Effective hand drying eliminates dirt, microorganisms, and moisture from the hands. Additionally, it also reduces the impact of poor techniques of handwashing. On the other hand, the pace of the spread of viruses is high in the case of wet hands. The best way to dry your hands quickly is to use paper towels. Paper towels are one of the best ways to dry hands while on the go without any hassles. The WHO (World Health Organisation) states that you should dry them using paper towels or a warm air dryer after effectively cleaning your hands.  

Benefits of good hand hygiene

Good hand hygiene starts at home, so follow all the necessary steps to ensure clean hands. Below are a few benefits of maintaining good hand hygiene. Keep these benefits in mind and work on regularly keeping your hands clean.

• The most crucial benefit of washing hands is the prevention of infection. We regularly tend to touch our eyes, nose, and mouth, which increases the chances of contracting viruses. But washing your hands with soap frequently will reduce the spread of any infection.
• Maintaining good hand hygiene both at home and at work is crucial. Unfortunately, with so many employees working in an organisation, the spread of diseases might be inevitable. Here is where the need for good hand hygiene becomes the need of the hour.
• The primary cause of food-borne illnesses is unclean hands. To avoid this, be sure to wash your hands both before and after the preparation of meals. Also, make sure to wash your hands before having your meals.

So what is the need to maintain clean hands and good hand hygiene? We, humans, contact numerous germs and viruses as we step out. From lift doors to grocery shops, our hands come in contact with 300 surfaces every 30 minutes. This exposure, in turn, exposes your hands to millions of germs. Failing to wash hands will contribute to nearly 50% of all foodborne outbreaks.

Ways to ensure good hand hygiene at work 

After home, the next place to ensure good hand hygiene is our workplace. It is a place where we spend most of our time after our home. Especially after the pandemic hit the world, hand hygiene at workplaces has become essential. Companies can take small steps and initiatives to improve hand hygiene. There are a few ways companies can encourage good hand hygiene at workplaces.

• Enforcing good hand hygiene: we all know that maintaining good hand hygiene is the need of the hour. Every company must ensure good hygienic hand practices. Keep reminding the employees of the need for good hand hygiene and washing hands at regular intervals.
• Correct practices: the best way to ensure excellent hand hygiene standards is to come with the proper facilities in your company for visitors and employees to follow. Some solutions should include placing hand sanitisers at the required places, automatic soap dispensers in washrooms, hand dryers, and an adequate quantity of paper towels. 
• Display hygiene posters: companies can also display hygiene posters in different areas in the office or site. It will act as a constant reminder for employees to keep their hands clean and hygienic at all times. It will also make them aware of how regularly they need to wash their hands and prevent the spread of viruses and diseases. 

Lack of proper hand hygiene facilities at work will increase the risk of spreading infections among employees. But with clean and hygienic facilities and equipment, a safer and cleaner workplace environment can be achieved. It will also reassure employees that the company is taking effective measures to combat the viruses’ spread and ensure better employee safety.

Personal hygiene is essential to maintain, and good hand hygiene is also crucial. Our hands are the most exposed part of our body; hence keeping them clean is what we need to incorporate into our daily routine. With adequate care and protection, we can ensure the well-being of ourselves and the people around us.