Best practice for hand washing and fast drying

By Mandy Clarke, Editor

To a large degree, we are still very much in the dark when it comes to understanding COVID-19.

Science learns a litt le more each day about how it spreads, how it eff ects the human body, how to treat it and how an outbreak can be prevented.

A few facts came to light very soon aft er the pandemic began. First, it was very apparent that many people do not wash their hands enough, and second many more people do not know how to wash them properly. A good handwashing technique is one of the most eff ective ways prevent the spread of COVID-19 and of course, access to clean and eff ective facilities with minimum crosscontamination risk is vital. On not having good handwashing and drying facilities, the World Health Organization says: “We cannot overstate the threat.”

Jeremy Outen, managing director Prosan Ltd agrees. Sharing his industry viewpoint with us, he said: “When China urgently renovated China’s Shenyang Infectious Disease Hospital to treat COVID-19 patients, they fi tt ed modern high-speed hand dryers with hospital grade fi lters in the staff protective clothes changing area. These best practice, fast drying hand dryers capture particles, bacteria, and viruses as small as 0.1 microns and the hand dryer and are completely touch-free.”

Industry viewpoint:

On hand washing, Jeremy says that contrary to popular belief, soap dispensers do not make too much of a diff erence because the soap is dispensed prior to the hands being washed and any viruses or bacteria on the dispenser will be washed off anyway, with a correct hand washing

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technique. It is very important to make sure the soap used is of adequate quality, is fi t-for-purpose, and is being dispensed at the correct amount/ratio. Liquid soap, bar soap and foam soap are all equally eff ective. The diff erence with foam soap is that it is pre-lathered and if the hand washing technique is not quite perfect then a pre-lathered soap will be more eff ective.

Soap versus sanitisers?

Sanitisers work by killing the virus/bacteria whereas soap washes it off . Some soaps also contain sanitisers. Sanitisers are oft en incredibly eff ective however if used extensively the thickener used to thicken the sanitiser can also build up on the skin, creating a place for bacteria to harbour and this will not be touched by the sanitising agent (normally alcohol). Soap on the other hand when used properly will encapsulate the virus/ bacteria and will allow it to be rinsed off with water. Neither product is necessarily bett er than the other, each simply has its place. However, if either is used incorrectly, they will not be eff ective. Use hand wash reminder signage, anything with clear pictures and not too much wording.

On the ups and downs of hand drying options...

He explains that paper towels are possibly the most expensive, common and a rather eff ective way of drying hands but do leave large amounts of messy rubbish and the damp used towels are a breeding ground for bacteria and viruses. “Oft en, the dispensers are left empty, so there is no way to dry hands, therefore you must be vigilant about restocking the dispensers and this takes time, plus a supply of paper towels must always be on hand. There is also an added cost of the disposal of used towels, this is oft en not considered.

“Roller towels are cheaper than paper towels and are oft en thought of as an economic option, but they are prone to running out, leaving the last part of the towel very damp and with multiple people using it repeatedly! This causes a high risk of infection and the dirty section is rolled up inside the wall unit beside the clean side, this creates a high potential for cross-contamination.”

Modern high-speed hand dryers are a very eff ective “set and forget option”, and the most cost-eff ective option, according to Jeremy. “Make sure the unit comes fi tt ed with high end fi ltration which means the air comes out of the hand dryer cleaner than the air we breathe. Depending on the model each unit has diff erent options for dealing with wastewater and some have drains. The newer tap designs are over-basin, stopping any water tracks and drips problems across the fl oor.

“Beware of older style hand dryers that may not have fi ltration and may have longer dry times, meaning people tend to give up, wipe their hands on their clothes or walk out with wet hands.

“In my opinion, hand dryers are without a doubt the most eff ective drying method to contain the spread of the Coronavirus, no damp surfaces are touched therefore leaves no potential for cross contamination plus it leaves the air well fi ltered. For instance, if someone coughs in the direction of the hand dryer it will fi lter the cough, if someone coughs in the direction of a paper towel it will sit on the surface waiting to come in human contact.

“I believe the future is hand dryers however not hand dryers as we know them but new products like the wash and dry hand dryer tap, where hands can be washed and dried in the same basin and in almost the same movement.

“I believe new technology will grow from here with further automation achieving for a more eff ective and consistent washing and drying technique.”