Hygiene

In hospitals, care homes and in education, cross-contamination is a major cause of illness. It just takes the person preparing food to touch a surface that hasn’t been cleaned properly and germs are transferred.

Food isn’t the only way that germs are passed on, any unhygienic surface that fingers touch can end up being transferred into the mouth, so good hygiene practices are needed in all areas, not only kitchens and food prep. Research into hospital hygiene reveals that 24% of blood sugar monitors and 35% of temperature probe holders failed required hygiene standards³.

³ https://www.cleansweephire.co.uk/2016/07/10-facts-you-didnt-know-about-industrial-cleaning/

For hotels, cafes, bars and restaurants, poor hygiene can impact business both through staff absences and reduced customer numbers, either due to direct experience or word of mouth. There are almost 48 million cases of food-borne illnesses each year that have been linked to ineffective cleaning⁴.

⁴ http://www.ipcworldwide.com/us/5-best-practices-for-effectively-cleaning-high-risk-areas/news/

For health and care environments, healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), - illness that wasn’t present at the time of admission, are a major challenge, affecting hundreds of millions of people around the word every year, and up to 7% of patients in developed countries. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the impact includes prolonged hospital stays, long-term disability, increased resistance of microorganisms to antimicrobials, massive additional costs for health systems, high costs for patients and their family, and unnecessary deaths. The WHO has identified eight components to support tackling HAIs. Component eight covers built environment, materials and equipment for infection prevention and control in acute healthcare facilities. Its recommendations include that patient care activities take place in a hygienic/clean environment that supports the prevention and control of HAIs⁵.

⁵ https://www.who.int/infection-prevention/publications/burden_hcai/en/

How clean a space is kept can affect those of us simply spending a day at work or school. An incredible 98% of office workers will be affected by a contagious illness in their lifetime, thanks to poor hygiene in the workplace. Nearly a third of workers say their workplace makes allergy symptoms worse, and the related absences cost the UK £7.1 billion every year. Just using a vacuum cleaner regularly could drastically reduce this⁶. In schools, where poor hand hygiene is more likely, the spread of colds, stomach bugs and other contagious illnesses is an issue affecting both staff and students. In 2017/2018, illness accounted for 55% of school absences, although this is a slight decrease from the two previous academic years⁷.

⁶ https://www.cleansweephire.co.uk/2016/07/10-facts-you-didnt-know-about-industrial-cleaning/
⁷ Department of Education - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/787463/Absence_3term_201718_Text.pdf