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Hand Hygiene Facts
Fact 1 : Handwashing for 20 seconds feels like a long time.
The CDC recommends 20 seconds of handwashing to properly clean our hands. This is easier said than done. One of the first things people say after using the SinkBlink20 is "Wow, 20 seconds is a long time."
What this means is that most people aren't washing their hands long enough. On average, people wash their hands for about 7 seconds. That means half the people are washing their hands less than that! Sometimes they don't use soap. [Michigan State University Study]
No matter who used that door handle before you did, statistically speaking; they did a poor job of washing their hands.
Fact 2 : Good hygiene requires behavior modification.
Believe it or not, it's really hard to get people to wash their hands. We have to give them a friendly reminder. [Infection Control Today]
Fact 3 : A handwashing timer improves hand washing effectiveness.
People wash their hands for 30% longer and they are 60% more likely to use proper scrubbing techniques just by adding a timer. It's that simple. A timer improves hand-washing compliance
Fact 4 : Setting the hand washing example in your home instils better hygiene everywhere.
All the experts agree, the best way to get your kids to wash their hands better is to set the example. Adding a timer to your faucet is an easy, inexpensive solution to show your kids that hand washing is important to you.
Here are a few articles, but there are many more:
Fact 5 : Employee hand hygiene compliance improves with a visual handwashing timer
Employees are more inclined to wash with timers. [Quality Assurance & Food Handling]
According to the CDC, their study of over 300 restaurants discovered increased hand washing rates when:
- Restaurants had food-safety training.
- Restaurants have more than one hand sink.
Add a no touch, automatic visual 20 second timer as part of your hygiene training.
- Restaurants with a hand sink in view of the observed worker.
As you might expect, people wash their hands longer when someone is watching. The visual timer allows everyone in eyeshot to witness compliance to your hygiene procedure.
Fact 6 : Simple visual cues increase compliance.
While this article is not about a timer, it determined towel and soap usage went up 23% and 13%, respectively, just by having signs in the right place. People wash their hands better if they are reminded and if we make it easy. [American Journal of Public Health]
Fact 7 : Visual timers create compliance with indirect peer pressure.
The visual timer also indirectly informs others that 20 seconds has been met.
This form of peer pressure is utilized by some hospitals. [Industrial Safety & Hygiene News]
Fact 8 : Employees stay healthier with better hand hygiene.
Poor hygiene leads to sickness and time away from work. Washing hands for at least 20 seconds is one of the best ways to fight transmission of illnesses. [CDC - Center for Disease Control & Prevention]
According to the FDA, an employee's personal hygiene is important. Not only important for the establishment, but for themselves. Modifying behavior at your establishment will help improve cleanliness everywhere.
Fact 9 : Infection transmission is preventable.
On average, healthcare providers clean their hands less than half of the times they should. On any given day, about one in 31 hospital patients has at least one healthcare-associated infection.
Fact 10 : The Joint Commission recommends good hand hygiene.
They require healthcare organizations to:
- implement a hand hygiene program based on regulations, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requirements (if deemed), manufacturer instructions and evidence-based guidelines (either Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or World Health Organization)
- identify opportunities to improve compliance with hand hygiene
- set goals to improve compliance based on identified priorities
- monitor compliance with the hand hygiene program and progress toward goals
- improve results through appropriate actions
The belt and suspenders approach:
In 1990, James Reason helped develop the ‘Swiss Cheese Model’ for hazard prevention. In essence, every safety measure has a hole in it, like Swiss Cheese. To solidify the layers, we must stack many safety measures, i.e. pieces of Swiss Cheese, together to statistically prevent the hazard.
This same approach has been applied to the coronavirus.
Masks & barriers, social distancing, disinfection, and handwashing each play a role in preventing the spread of the coronavirus (as well as other viruses). No one method by itself prevents the spread, but when used together they are very effective.
The handwashing secret:
- You know when someone wears a mask.
- When people are too close.
- A disinfected surface has a certain smell and feel.
How do you know someone washed properly?
How long did you to wash last time?
The SinkBLink20 Solution
The SinkBlink20 turns any standard faucet into a hand hygiene accountability tool. Let the blinking light keep people at the sink long enough to wash their hands properly.
