Last year the Soap and Detergent Association (SDA) gave Americans a C minus for their hand hygiene. I guess we studied hard because we were able to raise our grade from nearly failing up to a B minus. While this isn’t great, it’s at least encouraging.

More people are washing their hands more often throughout the day. More people are also washing hands before eating, after sneezing or coughing and after using the restroom. But the bad news is a lot of these people aren’t washing their hands long enough: 46 percent are washing hands for 15 seconds or less (it’s recommended to wash hands for at least 15 to 20 seconds).

With the cold and flu season already upon us coupled with the H1N1 outbreak, it’s critical that building service contractors find ways to encourage building occupants to wash their hands. In high traffic facilities, recommend customers switch to foam soap because it can distribute up to eight times more hand washes than liquid soap, helping to ensure that product doesn’t run out.

Also, place individual bottles of hand sanitizer at workers’ desks or set up stands breakrooms and reception areas.

Add a Comment