World Hand Hygiene Day – Only One in Five People Wash Their Hands Correctly

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• World Hand Hygiene Day – Only One in Five People Wash Their Hands Correctly

05 May 2021

Research from a smart hand sanitiser technology company shows that just one in five people cleanse their hands correctly.

Additionally, 33 per cent of people are concerned if their co-workers are sanitising or not. SAVORTEX® has also revealed that it just takes only one person to enter an area or building with some kind of bacteria or virus on their hands to infect 60 per cent of the workplace in just two hours.

Coinciding with World Hand Hygiene Day, IoT technology used by SAVORTEX® is to be the subject of a nationwide behavioural hygiene study after receiving £570k of government funding.

World Hand Hygiene Day aims to maintain global promotion, visibility and sustainability of hand hygiene and to bring people together in support of hand hygiene improvement around the world.

IoT Connected RFID Technology

As the risk of viruses looks set to be a part of our future, it is critical for workplaces to implement an end-to-end infection control strategy for the health and wellbeing of staff eager to return. Without this technology, managers have no way of knowing who is sanitising and who isn’t.

Prior to the pandemic, illnesses were already costing businesses $225.8 billion annually due to absence and loss of productivity. The financial implications of service disruption due to the pandemic are predicted to be $480 billion in lost commercial activity.

Savortex’s IoT connected Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology tracks usage in real-time and promotes regular use through gentle reminders and compelling on-screen messaging.

The sanitisers are alerted to the staff member/visitor’s presence as they approach the machine; they then monitor sanitisation and discreetly notify the user as a reminder to sanitise if they failed to do so. The system also provides building managers with real-time individual staff member sanitiser compliance data in a GDPR compliant manner. This enables individuals, departments and buildings to measure and certify their hand hygiene levels. 

If required, the system can automatically deny entry to staff members across ID card enacted building entry points if they have not sanitised their hands before seeking entry. This reduces the risk of viruses entering the workplace. 

Integrated video screens can display company health and safety advice, along with the latest COVID-19 guidance. Along with instant refill alerts and low-energy output, the sanitisers also dispense the precise amount of sanitiser liquid required to optimally sanitise hands in accordance with EN Standards.

Innovate UK Behaviour Study

The technology has received £570k funding from the government’s Innovation arm - Innovate UK, to complete a hygiene behaviour study in partnership with the Universities of Sheffield and Leeds and a host of leading corporate companies nationwide. The study will demonstrate how data-driven hand hygiene and compelling messaging can improve hygiene behaviours and enhance staff wellbeing. 

The study, placed in a number of private and public offices nationwide, will demonstrate how accurate usage data, gentle reminders, and compelling messaging can transform hand-hygiene practices to enhance staff safety and well-being. 

Dr Sophie Rutter, from Sheffield University’s Information School, said:

“This technology will allow us to identify the extent to which people are sanitising their hands in office settings and we can also use this technology to share with office workers the extent to which people are sanitising their hands at work. We hope that this could offer peace of mind to office workers who otherwise wouldn’t know if their colleagues were sanitising their hands.”

Picture: a photograph of someone washing their hands under a tap

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 05 May 2021

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