FMJ.CO.UK WASHROOMS FOCUS
SEPTEMBER 2020 37
population report having sensitive
skin(iii), and combine this with the
frequency with which people are now
washing or sanitising hands, formulations
must be gentle, unlikely to irritate
but have proven germ-killing e icacy.
Providing moisturisers can help to
maintain skin health too, as they help to
rehydrate and replenish oils in the skin.”
Paul Mulready Hygiene Products
Marketing Manager at Northwood believes
FMs can help ensure that users wash their
hands correctly by not only installing
simple visual guides alongside their
washing facilities but also throughout
their premises, including at sanitising
stations. He says: “This provides teams
with a constant reminder of good hygiene
practice, as well as helping the stations to
stand out and encouraging their use.”
How we dry our hands is very important
says Mulready: “E icient hand drying is
also vital to limit the spread of the virus,
as microbes survive better in moisture,
and any that remain on skin a er washing
are more likely to spread to other surfaces
when people do not dry their hands
properly.”
HANDS FREE
There is growing evidence
that COVID-19 is capable
of surviving for several
days on hard surfaces.
Mulready cites a
paper by the New
England Journal
of Medicine which
reported in April
the findings of a
piece of research(iv)
undertaken
by Neeltje van
Doremalen of the
US National Institutes
of Health - which found
that the virus could live for
over 72 hours on plastic and up
to 24 on cardboard. This being the
case, FMs need to minimise opportunities
for users to touch washroom surfaces
by installing touch free dispensers that
minimise surface touching and help
reduce the chances of contamination.
According to Jo Gilliard, CEO of Jangro
end-users will demand clean and
hygienic handwashing facilities, while
conversely showing a reluctance to
actually touch any equipment. “Anything
that avoids users’ touch, from soap and
sanitiser dispensers, to taps, dryers,
and toilet flushes will all help increase a
washroom’s hygiene rating. This,
in turn, minimises the risk of
contamination of COVID-19
or any other germ or
bacteria for that matter.”
Automatic
dispensers can
help increase
compliance,
by overcoming
people’s reluctance
to touch taps,
dispensers and
dryers, especially
if they don’t look
clean or are leaking
says Wakefield. But there
are other benefits too. “By
releasing the exact dose of
product required each time, touchfree
dispensers can help reduce mess and
waste.”
According to REACT CEO, Shaun Doak,
M&E consultants will increasingly look to
implement technology into their current/
future building design without the risk of
this technology being ‘value engineered’
out of the build (as is o en the case) due to
budgetary constraints.
He also predicts an increase in the
automation of other areas of the
washroom. “We have already seen an
increase in the last few years of automatic
Automatic dispensers can help increase compliance, by
overcoming people’s reluctance to touch taps, dispensers and
dryers, especially if they don’t look clean or are leaking says Wakefi eld.”