Hand-washing is a simple task, which we ought to be doing many times a day. Viruses and bacteria can spread from hands that have been in contact with contaminated surfaces but can usually be effectively dispatched with soap and water.
That means it's vital to have adequate stocks of cleaning and hygiene supplies in places like schools where many people share facilities. Clean hands stop the spread of pathogens that cause many disorders, from respiratory illnesses to diarrhoea and food poisoning.
Contaminated surfaces are one of the main vectors of transmission for the viruses that cause colds, flu and now Covid-19. These respiratory illnesses can be very serious in some cases and at the very least are disruptive to productive activities. We've seen, in recent years, how devastating a virus outbreak can be, so we should all do what we can to avoid the spread of Covid-19. But while Covid is a fairly new concern for schools, it's not the only serious disease that can breed with dirty hands and contaminated air. Flu is still responsible for many deaths each year and its spread is similarly worsened by poor hygiene standards. A flu infection picked up at school can easily lead to severe complications for a child’s grandparent, or a teacher, should the illness be transmitted. Encouraging regular hand washing doesn't remove the risk of infection entirely, but it certainly helps lessen the risks.
The pathogens that cause diarrhoea can also spread easily through poor hand hygiene. If people don't wash their hands after going to the toilet, it's all too easy to transfer bacteria or viruses to door handles and other surfaces via dirty hands. The bugs that cause diarrhoea include salmonella, norovirus and E. coli, but each of these can be neutralised by effective handwashing. The act of handwashing alone is reckoned to reduce the number of infections that cause diarrhoea by 31%. That means it's imperative to encourage rigour with hand hygiene and to make sure that bulk fill soap dispensers are fully loaded to meet demand.
Gastroenteritis, or food poisoning, doesn't just result from eating bad food. It's commonly caused by poor hygiene in the kitchen. When handling raw meat or fish, it's essential to wash your hands before touching other foodstuffs, surfaces, or equipment. Uncooked ingredients can often contain the bacteria that cause sickness. And it's not just the obvious culprits like raw meat or fish. Eggs can also be a problem; even the dirt on vegetables may cause illness. So, hand hygiene in the kitchen is a must to reduce the number of food poisoning cases.
Proper hand hygiene is not just an individual risk. By neglecting to wash your hands regularly, you put others at risk of contracting contagious diseases, some of which can be serious. Hand hygiene is also a social responsibility in schools to avoid transmitting disease-causing pathogens wherever possible.
If you're concerned about contagious disease transmission in your school, you'll want to always encourage proper hand hygiene. But hand washing can't happen if the facilities aren't available, so it's vital to make sure that bulk-fill soap dispensers are regularly topped up. At Power Hygiene, we offer a range of soaps and sanitisers and can supply them in bulk. We supply reliably and at competitive prices, helping to keep you and the people around you safe from illnesses.
To find out more, please take a look at our affordable bulk soap and skincare range.
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