Survey examines opinions about healthier workplaces - Brief Article

AORN Journal, Feb, 2004

Coworkers who come to work when they are sick was the pet peeve of 38% of respondents in a survey about making the workplace healthier and more hygienic, according to a Dec 22, 2003, news release from Kimberly Clark, Roswell, Ga. If staying home is not an option, 42% of respondents would prefer that these coworkers wash their hands as often as possible, especially after touching their eyes, noses, or mouths; after sneezing; and before touching common surfaces, such as doorknobs and photocopiers.

Handwashing after using the restroom also was cited as important by 23% of participants. Suggested methods to increase handwashing included posting handwashing reminder signs (30%), disseminating information about the importance of handwashing in preventing the spread of germs (17%), providing quality soap and paper towels that do not irritate skin (15%) and using a recorded message that advises people to wash their hands as they enter and leave the restroom. Twenty-three percent of respondents advocated using an alarm that would sound when an individual left the restroom without washing his or her hands.

Twenty-eight percent of respondents would like coworkers who are sick to stay away from other people when possible, and 8% would Like these coworkers to avoid breathing on others. Six percent of respondents would like their coworkers to work in a special "sick room."

When asked what managers could do to reduce the spread of germs in the workplace, 39% of respondents said they would Like to see a policy that requires employees with contagious diseases to stay home until they recover. Other suggestions included supplying waterless hand sanitizers, germ-killing paper towels and facial tissues, and antimicrobial soaps and installing ultraviolet lamps in ventilation systems to kill germs and disinfect the air.

Flu Fears Top Germ Concerns for 2004 (news release, Roswell, Ga: Kimberly-Clark, Dec 22, 2003).