Habits of hygiene: Understanding the implications of office hygiene and handwashing habits

Transcription

1 Habits of hygiene: Understanding the implications of office hygiene and handwashing habits

2 In 2016, Initial, global leader in hygiene solutions, commissioned a survey of 5,000 office workers in five markets around the world (Malaysia, UK, Australia, Germany and France) to get a better understanding of the state of hand washing in office environments. Working closely with leading market research agency, ICM Unlimited, the survey was completed in October The importance of keeping our hands clean is taught to children from such a young age, it is easy to take for granted that hand washing greatly reduces the spread of disease. Though 84% of office workers (79% of men and 88% of women) claim to wash their hands after visiting the washroom, the doctrine of handwashing is so ingrained in our consciousness, we are unlikely to own up when we don t follow the rules. And as a result of poor habits, office workers may be unwittingly participating in the spread of germs even when they do wash their hands. Initial Hygiene Report 2 The thing I hate most about office toilets is people who don t wash their hands after using the toilet. I then have to try and get out without touching door handles. It defeats the point of me washing my own hands. Female, Aged 47, United Kingdom Initial Hygiene Report 3

3 Hand hygiene and office habits 84% claim to wash their hands after using the washroom, but Initial research suggests it s really only 1/2 of that These days, the majority of people spend most of their time at work. For many, this means being in an office for up to eight hours every day. While offices may conjure up images of sterile and hygienic buildings, it is important to remember that many are enclosed environments, and can hold large numbers of people every day. In such conditions, germs and illnesses can easily take hold and spread. In fact, researchers using tracer viruses from the American Society of Microbiology 1 found that contamination of just a single doorknob or table top can result in the spread of viruses throughout office buildings, hotels, and health care facilities. Within two to four hours, the virus was detectable on 40 to 60 percent of workers, visitors and commonly touched objects. In other words, our hygiene habits at work are extremely important to our health, and the health of those around us. According to most office workers however, this isn t a problem. Looking at the habits of workers in Malaysia, UK, Australia, Germany and France, Initial found that, not only do the vast majority of workers claim to always wash their hands after using the washroom, 70% claim to always use soap, and 66% claim to always dry their hands after washing. However, a third (33%) of respondents use a phone/ smartphone while in the washrooms at work. This is especially prevalent among men, with nearly half (42%) of men admitting to this behaviour, compared to only 25% of women. Of those using their phone in the toilet, 43% are using WhatsApp and 55% are updating Facebook. 12% take food or drink into the washroom 35% read or browse online 18% play games on their smartphones 13% updated their social media profiles 1 Initial Hygiene Report 4 Initial Hygiene Report 5

4 What s the big deal? 37% don t wash their hands if they are in a rush 20% blame a lack of soap or towels 16% avoid washing their hands due to bad smells 15% if handwashing facilities are unclean 1/3 of employees use their smartphones in the office washroom Bringing a phone or even a book into the bathroom can expose you and others to germs like Salmonella, E.coli and C.Difficile. If you wipe yourself or touch the lock and then touch a phone before washing your hands, you can expose yourself and others to a range of dangerous bugs. And even though the vast majority of office workers do claim to wash their hands after visiting the bathroom, toilet spray can travel throughout the washroom from the flush if the lid isn t closed, and the warmth on the phone can prove an excellent breeding ground for bacteria. Given that previous Initial research from 2015 found that 42% of women and 39% of men do not close the lid when they flush 2, the potential for bacterial cross-contamination is high. These bacteria will invariably end up back on the hands of workers who are likely to contaminate their work areas and anything or anyone else they come into contact with. Dr Lisa Ackerley, a leading hygiene expert agrees. A smartphone which is brought into a washroom will invariably end up with invisible traces of faeces and urine on it. These will then transfer to the owner s hands. A single gram of human faeces, which is about the weight of a paper clip can contain one trillion microbes and when they are not washed off, they can be passed from person to person. As we can carry harmful germs without actually having any symptoms of illness, people who are picking up their contaminated smartphone minutes after washing their hands are immediately undoing their good work and could be placing themselves and their colleagues needlessly at risk. 2 Demographics of Hygiene 2015, Rentokil Initial Initial Hygiene Report 6 Initial Hygiene Report 7

5 Handwashing habits 78% would be disgusted or concerned if a colleague didn t wash their hands after using the washroom For optimum hand hygiene, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommend using clean running water, and lathering with soap to lift the dirt and microbes off the skin. Scrubbing hands for at least 20 seconds removes more germs than scrubbing for only 10 seconds. Unfortunately, 73% of workers wash their hands for 20 seconds or under meaning only 27% of people are following proper protocol. Both organisations recommend rinsing with clean water to avoid any build-up of bacteria, and recommend drying hands as germs are more easily transferable from and to damp hands 3. Although 84% of office workers claim to always wash their hands after visiting the washroom, this is unlikely to be the whole truth. Indeed, the launch of HygieneConnect in 2015 found that an observation of 100,000 people across Europe demonstrated only 38% of men and 60% of women wash their hands after visiting the bathroom an average of 49%. Why are people dishonest about these habits? Mostly embarrassment, comments Mark Reader, (Group Category Director, Rentokil Initial) People are embarrassed to talk about hand hygiene at all let alone be honest about their own habits. Everybody knows that washing your hands is an essential part of cleanliness and good health in fact, 78% of office workers say they would feel disgusted or concerned if they saw a colleague leave the washroom without washing their hands. Yet despite this, only 24% (29% of men and 19% of women) have ever spoken up when they have seen a colleague do this, demonstrating that it isn t something people readily wish to talk about or discuss. Admitting to not taking care of something so basic is difficult for most people to do. Although HygieneConnect does throw up some interesting findings, signs that workers were not being completely honest were seen in the 2016 data too. For example, only 9% of workers 42% avoid shaking hands with someone who s just used the washroom feel shock when they see a colleague leave the washroom without washing their hands. If the act of handwashing was fully normalised for the majority of people, (or if they had never left without washing their hands themselves) the level of shock would be far higher. Similarly, around a third of people (31%) say they are more likely to wash their hands when someone else is watching for a behaviour that is apparently automatic and taken for granted, this percentage is very high. 3 Initial Hygiene Report 8 Initial Hygiene Report 9

6 Taking responsibility I d like the washroom to be cleaner and always to have plenty of toilet paper, soap and hand towels. With 32% of people sometimes or always hot desking and 49% eating at their desks, the potential for spreading germs and crosscontamination is high. The number of germs on a person s fingertips doubles after they use the toilet 4 and contaminated hands can transfer viruses to more than five surfaces. 5 Indeed a desk phone has around 25,127 microbes per square inch, keyboards 3,295 and computer mice 1, As workers appear not to know about the risks of using smartphones in the washroom, more needs to be done to raise awareness. Simple initiatives like reminder notices urging workers to wash dry and sanitise their hands, and discouraging the use of Female, Aged 51, France 4 NHS UK 5 Effects of cleaning and disinfection in reducing the spread of norovirus contamination via environmental surfaces Journal of Hospital Infection Dr. Charles Gerba, University of Arizona mobile phones in the washroom can make a difference. But while employers understandably believe that the responsibility of handwashing lies with the individual alone, the state of the washroom and its handwashing facilities could also play a major role in affecting positive change. In fact, in 50% of cases, the reasons for workers leaving the washroom without washing their hands tend to be related to the washroom itself, as opposed to personal reasons (32%). The reasons for not washing hands range from a lack of provisions like soap or towels (20%) to avoiding queues for the sink or hand dryer (14%), being put off by a bad smell (16%) and being put off by an unclean handwashing / sink area (15%). Could employers do more to provide better facilities for staff? Those that avoided washing their hands for personal reasons have stated that it was because they didn t want to touch the soap dispenser (10%) or the soap (11%) and 13% have avoided washing their hands because they didn t want to touch the tap. The data clearly demonstrates that people are sensitive to state of the facilities they use at work and in many cases, it can have a direct impact on their behaviour for better or for worse. And when nearly two-fifths (38%) of workers wouldn t rate their office washroom facilities positively, and a third (33%) of office workers believe that their office washrooms do not provide a good overall experience, it may be time for employers to sit up and take notice. The fact is that if cleaner, more hygienic and better-smelling facilities encourage better habits amongst staff, employers should think about investing in them, as well as asking workers to re-assess their handwashing habits by keeping smartphones out of the washroom. Poor hand hygiene is the biggest cause of office illness and a CBI study found that sickness absence costs employers 495 a year in direct costs for every worker employed. Proper investment into these facilities may see businesses losing fewer days to sickness and greater productivity as a result. Initial Hygiene Report 10 Initial Hygiene Report 11

7 About Initial We are committed to keeping you healthy by providing high quality hygiene products and services that minimise your risk of exposure to bacteria and other infectious micro-organisms. We take pride in delivering the highest levels of service to enable you to keep your organisation looking good, feeling healthy and most importantly hygienic. Why choose Initial? At Initial we believe in the smart use of hygiene so you re covered in all key risk areas, not just the washroom. Our broader approach will assist you in establishing good hygiene practice throughout your organisation, creating a healthier, more productive environment for everyone. You can choose from a convenient delivery of hygiene supplies to a complete rental maintenance service. For more information, visit: Rentokil Initial plc. Registered in England Registered office: Riverbank, Meadows Business Park, Camberley GU17 9AB. The names Rentokil and Initial are registered trademarks A part of Rentokil Initial