Proper Hand Hygiene
One of the things that prevent us from acquiring germs is through proper handwashing. Proper handwashing is our first line of defense against bacteria coming into our body.
Our hands touch a lot of surfaces and we interact with a lot of people. We do a lot with our hands! It is no wonder that our hands can be a carrier of bacteria if not washed properly! And these bacteria can enter our body if we touch our eyes, mouth, nose or if we have broken skin.
In a restaurant, a chef can transmit bacteria to the food that he is preparing if he did not wash his hands properly. In a daycare centre, kids play and shares toy with each other. One sick child who sneezes or coughs can transmit bacteria easily as kids most often put things in their mouth or rub their eyes when they are sleepy. Even in a typical office environment, most of us usually rub our eyes when we are tired.
We wish the germs are visible to the naked eye! Unfortunately, they are not! We must take extra steps to make sure our hands are clean!
So when do we wash our hands?
- If you recently touched a surface that people regularly touch. Like handrails, elevator buttons, etc…
- Before and after eating
- Before and after cooking especially after handling raw meat
- After using the toilet
- After touching or interacting with a person who is sick
- After interacting with a big group of people especially when there is a lot of handshakings involved
- If you have sneezed or coughed
- After you have changed a dirty nappy
- Before and after treating a wound
- After you have taken out the rubbish
In order to make sure we keep the germs at bay, we need to know how to properly wash our hands.
- Wet your hands with clean water.
- Lather up your hands with a hand soap.
- Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Make sure you get all the nooks and crannies of your fingers too!
- Wash your hands well with clean water to get rid off the soap.
- Dry your hands with a clean paper hand towel.
If water and soap are not readily available, you can use an alcohol-based sanitizer.
- Put some hand sanitizer onto your hands enough to cover all the surface of your hands.
- Rub for 20 seconds.
However, if your hands are visibly dirty, it is a must to use soap and water! And remember, hand sanitizers do not remove all kinds of bacteria!
Contact one of our Green Rhino hygiene experts now for a good hand hygiene program!