November, 2001

As the cold and flu season arrives, many of us use common sense cleaning practices to defend the family against harmful germs, but what about the place we spend most of our waking hours-work? A new survey released by The Soap and Detergent Association (SDA) reveals that the workplace is often a weak link in the fight to prevent the contraction and spread of infectious diseases.

According to the 2001 SDA National Cleaning Survey, a significant portion of American workers (40 percent) neither washes their hands often enough nor long enough. In addition, the survey found most employers (58 percent) don't encourage hand washing in the workplace.

Hand washing is recognized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as one of the most important means of preventing germs from spreading. Americans spend billions of dollars annually battling colds and flu through medical treatments and doctor visits. On the flu alone, Americans spend $1.3 billion on direct medical costs. Lost productivity in the workplace can add another $15 billion to the annual tab.

"While most people can employ good cleaning habits, antibacterial products and disinfectants to fight germs at home, they have much less control over their work environment," said Nancy Bock, SDA's Director of Consumer Affairs. That makes proper hand washing the first line of defense against germs in the workplace. Washing often, about five or more times a day, is the first step. But you also need to wash your hands the right way, washing thoroughly with soap and water for at least 15 seconds.

Where people work appears to affect hand washing practices as well. The survey shows that 65 percent of maintenance and construction workers and 47 percent of office and customer service workers wash their hands less than five times a day. Half of the workers in these two groups only wash their hands 10 seconds or less. However, the CDC recommends washing your hands with soap and water for at least 15 seconds. Therefore, the Soap and Detergent Association suggests a simple reminder when stepping up to the sink: "Just Five More Seconds."

"Hand washing is a professional responsibility that should be done routinely in the workplace," said Bock. "Proper hand washing is just plain common sense. Taking 15 seconds to do it properly is an easy, effective infection control measure no matter where you work."

The SDA survey suggests employers could be doing more to encourage hand washing. While 93 percent of employers keep their bathrooms and washrooms stocked with soap and towels, only 41 percent post hand washing reminders. Again, where you work plays a part-73 percent of offices and customer service facilities and 74 percent of maintenance and construction operations post no signs reminding workers to wash their hands. The greatest encouragement came from food service facilities (88 percent) and medical facilities (67 percent), whose employees also showed the strongest performance in proper hand washing.

The good news is this poor hygiene trend can be reversed, according to Bock. "A key ingredient to improving hand washing in the workplace is better encouragement from employers. Simple reminder signs in bathrooms, kitchens and other community areas dramatically improve compliance."

The survey also suggests there is a direct correlation between encouragement and compliance. In businesses that post hand washing reminders, 72 percent of employees wash their hands five or more times a day. In fact, 38 percent wash their hands more than 10 times a day.

Following are quick tips recommended by the SDA and available on www.cleaning101.com.

Recommendations: When to Wash Hands at the Workplace

• Each time you use the restroom
• Before and after staff meetings if food is served
• After scanning newspapers or magazines in your break room
• Before and after your lunch
• After using your friend's keyboard or tools
• Before and after a meet and greet activity in your office
• When using shared office equipment like faxes, phones, etc.