A workplace weapon against colds and Flu: The restroom soap dispenser - HR Update News That Works - employers should tell workers to wash up - Brief Article

HR Magazine, Jan, 2002 by Terence F. Shea

Hand-washing reminders aren't just for restaurants anymore.

All employers should post such reminders in their workplaces to help block the spread of cold and flu germs, says the Soap and Detergent Association (SDA), a Washington, D.C.-based organization representing more than 100 North American cleaning-products manufacturers. Everybody should clean up their act because the medical costs of fighting colds and flu reach over $1 billion a year, the SDA says, and lost productivity can add $15 billion to the tab.

According to the SDA's 2001 National Cleaning Survey, 88 percent of food service facilities and 67 percent of medical facilities display hand-washing reminders, but 73 percent of offices and 74 percent of maintenance and construction operations don't.

"Simple reminder signs in bathrooms, kitchens and other community areas dramatically improve compliance," says Nancy Bock, SDA's director of consumer affairs. The SDA survey shows that in companies that put up reminders, 72 percent of employees wash their hands five or more times a day, and 38 percent wash more than 10 times a day.

The SDA says companies should tell employees to wash each time they use the restroom, before and after staff meetings if food is served, after scanning newspapers or magazines in the break room, before and after lunch, after using someone else's keyboard or tools, before and after a meet-and-greet activity in the office and when using shared office equipment such as phones and fax machines.

The SDA also says a good hand washing takes at least 15 seconds, and "alcohol-based hand sanitizers or gels or antibacterial wipes are useful alternatives if soap and water are not available," such as when working outdoors or traveling. "Proper hand washing is just plain common sense," Bock says.

For more information on the SDA survey, see the online version of HR Update in the members only content section at www.shrm.org/hrmagazine.>

COPYRIGHT 2002 Society for Human Resource Management

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