Infection Control & First Aid Blog

The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a bright light on the importance of handwashing often and adequately. With the pandemic still in full swing and rolling into cold and flu season, washing your hands frequently is still the most effective way to prevent the transmission of infections.

Hand soap and hand sanitizer are often debated about which is the more effective option for people to use. According to nearly all studies found and the Center for Disease Control (CDC), using soap and water is the more effective option for people to use. Hand sanitizer serves its purpose, but more often, hand soap is the preferred option for people to use.

Washing your hands is an essential part of daily routines that can help to keep you safer from potentially harmful microorganisms. There are a wide range of problems that could arise if you do not frequently and adequately wash your hands throughout the day. You could be setting yourself up for various types of illnesses, could be putting other people around you at risk, as well as potentially leading to antibiotic resistance.

Washing your hands with soap and water is something many people may overlook throughout the day unless using a restroom or your hands are visibly dirty. Many things we will come in contact with are covered with all types of germs that could potentially be harmful to us and get us sick. Some of these are common sense that they would be covered with these germs, but we still choose to not wash our hands after using them oftentimes.

In our current age, hygiene and disease awareness is at an all-time high. People now know that germs can quickly spread if they aren’t adequately controlled. A large part of infection control comes from hand care, in the form of sanitization and cleaning. However, it still isn’t common knowledge to know when soap and water will suffice, or if a strong sanitizer, like Safetec’s Hand Sanitizer, will be needed.

Believe it or not, handwashing saves lives. Since 2008, Global Handwashing Day has been celebrated annually on October 15 worldwide, encouraging children, teachers, and families to get involved, support a culture of handwashing with soap, and raise awareness about the benefits.

Handwashing prevents childhood illness, but most families in low-income countries lack soap at home.

Inequity is evident globally, with less than 1 percent of households in Ethiopia and 96.4 percent in Serbia having access to soap and water for handwashing, study finds

Washing with soap and water is second nature for many. But in many other places around the world, handwashing with soap is rare.

Washing our hands is one of the simplest tasks we can complete on a daily basis. There seems to be much bigger fish to fry when we are on the job or at home. What many do not realize is that there can be very minute hindrances to complete compliance with hand hygiene that causes problems in any field. Here are four problems that exist that need to be rectified if this is happening in your facility.

Probably not!

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you have been washing your hands wrong for your entire life. Hard to believe, but it’s true. Think back to when you were taught how to wash your hands. Go ahead we’ll wait…