Article Summary:

Sanitiser dispensers are recognised to improve sanitation. Analysts have proven many times how effective they are at keeping a location germ-free. Used properly, they kill 99.9% of all germs that can cross-contaminate from human to human. To a busy workplace environment, this is useful to preserve work momentum.

Current laws do not force employers to station them at various points. However, many companies who use sanitiser dispensers report improvements in employer/employee relations over companies that don’t. 

Hand sanitiser dispensers boost workforce morale. When they appear in the workplace, both employers and employees are happy. If you’re lagging, it will serve you well to incorporate a few sanitiser dispensers in your place of business.

Before selecting one or more hand sanitiser dispensers for your workplace, you should review where to place them. The areas where they will serve better, where people will notice them, and where people will use them frequently should be questions you ask when deciding.

A meeting with your health and safety team may be required before making a final decision. Or, maybe a consultation from an inspector. But in the long term, it’s worth it. At HandStation, all of our products can help you reach better hand hygiene statistics.

Main Body:

There is a simple truth about modern workplaces. Numerous germs inhabit them. Bacteria of all kinds fester and mutate in them. Think about all the surfaces you touch. Work surfaces. Pens. Keyboards. 

Cleaning staff are just the beginning of the battle against this nasty truth. Careful washing of hands is also necessary for slowing illnesses and disease spreading, especially after using a bathroom or WC. 

Worrying statistics, however, show less than 84% of UK office staff who say they thoroughly hand wash after using a bathroom or WC, don’t. In reality, it’s around half. 

And what makes this office hygiene data even worse, 33% of individuals surveyed said they bring their smartphone with them to the washroom at work. 12% said they take food or drink with them into the washroom. And if they are in a rush, 37% admitted to not washing their hands. 

Some employers ask themselves if there is more to be done. For themselves and the people they manage, employers should shoulder more responsibility for good workforce hygiene. 

Of the hygiene interviewees, 20% gave a lack of sanitaryware, including soap or towels as a reason for not handwashing. 14% wanted to avoid long queues for the sink or hand dryer. 16% were disappointed by the foul smell which put them off. And 15% wondered why the handwashing point was so dirty.

Many people have worked from home since the pandemic started. And though many chose flexible working hours before COVID, as restrictions ease off, employers will see an influx of workers from diverse sectors returning to the workplace.

Hand sanitiser dispensers are a step in the right direction. Knowing there is a back-up of sanitation is encouraging to the workforce. It makes them feel valued and respected by their superiors.

And because employees feel safer and well-protected in the workplace, your staff are more likely to focus on the work in hand. Rather than get distracted with worry over suitable sanitation. 

This uplifting data demonstrates just how effective hand sanitiser dispensers are:

• Hand sanitisers are estimated to reduce hand bacteria by 97%.
• Work nonattendance can be reduced by up to 40% with comprehensive hand sanitation.
• Employees are 67% less likely to get sick if they use hand sanitiser 5 times or more every workday.
• 30 seconds of hand sanitiser use = 2 full minutes of regular bathroom basin handwashing. 
• Office floors with extensive sanitation stations typically report 24% fewer claims for avoidable diseases caused by negligible hand health.

If that wasn’t enough, the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (JOEM) 2016 study demonstrates how much companies have gained. Results showed 20% fewer claims for healthcare assistance. A further 13.4% was reduced in staff absentees all due to simple hand sanitisation points.

This year has been dominated by COVID-19, which continues to infest everything it captures. Many companies haven’t left much room to prepare for the common autumn/winter influenza that we also have to contend with. 

Both challenges provide a valuable opportunity for employers to rectify sanitation issues before they deteriorate further.

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Suitable Locations for a Sanitiser Dispenser

Making hand sanitiser dispensers readily available is a fantastic and no-condescending way to encourage staff to take hand hygiene more seriously. 

Before you contemplate obtaining as many Alcohol free Hand Sanitiser dispensers as you can, you should consider where they would be best suited.

Thoroughly examining your environment to understand where people congregate the most should be your guiding light. 

What height wall-mountable Alcohol free Hand Sanitiser dispensers should be installed and the sanitising gel or liquid which would serve your staff the best is another factor you should discuss with your health and safety department or health inspector.

Our prime location suggestions for hand sanitiser dispensers in a workplace include:

• Exists and Entrances – One door handle could be the catalyst for most of your workforce needing to self-isolate. 
• Near the Elevator – Elevators carry hundreds of people in a single day. They are a consistent magnate for germs and infection from their floor buttons alone.
• Cafeterias, food courts, and break areas – It may seem too obvious. Many, however, still forgot to sanitise or disinfect their hands when entering these areas. Bacteria can still pass from food to surfaces easily. Using sanitiser before and after eating will minimise this outcome.
• Outside WC/Washroom areas – As said previously, less than half of UK office staff wash their hands thoroughly before leaving a WC. Placing a hand sanitiser dispenser ready outside is a sure way of maintaining cleanliness.
• Meeting rooms – Always packed with staff and visitors. Handshakes are common practice. One that exchanges many germs. The big pitch speaker can sprout plenty of saliva in the air. When it lands on the hard surfaces beneath, it can spread quickly.
• Near every employee station – Phones. Keyboards. Mouses. Office chairs. Desk surfaces. On average, 30,000 microorganisms wriggle between them. Keeping track of this situation is particularly tricky if you allow hot-desking.

Motivating More Hand Sanitiser Use

When you have hand sanitiser dispensers in place, the battle won’t stop there.

Visible Alcohol free Hand Sanitiser at appropriate locations are only half the battle. The other half is ensuring your workforce use them multiple times through the working day.

Health and safety personnel for workspaces use different tactics that you can adopt for yours.

Placing promotional posters around the workplace is very effective to motivate staff to use hand sanitisers.

E-newsletters, occasional HR sessions and staff meetings also help improve regular hand sanitiser use.

CTA (Call to Action)

To scathe off another COVID spike or firth and fifth wave, we all need to work together to improve our hygiene. In doing so, together, we can improve communal hygiene. 

As employers, you owe it to yourself and your team to make the workspace as hygienic as possible.

For managers or supervisors aiming to improve hygiene, HandStations has a huge range of hand sanitiser dispensers to help your workplace battle through this current COVID wave. 

We also have sanitiser gel and liquid refill options, so you never run out. 

For more details, visit our online store. Handstations.co.uk