Hygiene in the workplace – why it’s important, and how it can easily be achieved
October 30th, 2015
There are a few things in the workplace you can’t control. For example, the person who constantly feels the need to cook or re-heat pungent meals everyday in the staff kitchen, or the annoying sound the 5-year old printer makes when operating, or how about the person whose voice booms over everyone else’s just as you go to answer the phone.
Yes, some of these things can’t be controlled, but what you can easily control is the hygiene practices in your workplace. This may not silence the printer, or a colleague’s loud voice, but having and knowing good hygiene practices will hopefully help keep certain smells at bay, keep your workplace a cleaner environment to work in, as well as help you dodge a few sicknesses.
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WASH HANDS!
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This is probably the most obvious and easiest hygiene practice that should ALWAYS be done after using the bathroom, after touching dirty surfaces, or after coughing and sneezing, but surprisingly not everyone does, gross! As I child growing up in the 90s, I remember always seeing information sheets about washing hands in the schools bathrooms, as well as being drilled by my parents about the importance of hand washing, and the ease of germ spreading.
You may notice the drop of employees in the office during cold and flu season, but there are always a few that stay, no matter how sick they are. Washing your hands at work – and elsewhere – is the best way to fight the war against germ-spreading.
And if you’re sitting there nodding your head saying, “I do wash my hands”, then perhaps you can encourage others to keep up the practice by placing information sheets, like the ones below, in the bathrooms and kitchens.
Quick tips for hand washing:
- Wash your hands with clean, soapy warm water before eating, and after touching animals & unclean surfaces.
- Keep a bottle of hand sanitizer on your desk, or a travel-sized bottle in your bag or pocket.
- Avoid touching your face as much as you can, as this is how a lot of germs find their way into your system.
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Cover up
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If you find yourself coughing, sneezing and splattering about, the best thing to do to stop the spread of germs, is to stay home, rest and get better before heading back to work. But if this can’t be done, then the next best thing to do is to cover your mouth and nose with disposable tissues, then throw them in a bin with a lid straight away.
Quick tips for covering up:
- Keep a box of tissues on your desk, or travel-sized pouches in your pocket or bag.
- Try and get a bin with a lid to place next to your desk.
Keep common areas clean
If you have a shared kitchen at work, it’s safer as well as considerate to wash your own dishes properly, with hot soapy water, before drying them and putting them away. The hot, soapy water will kill off any bacteria on your dishes, and drying them will help ensure other bacteria doesn’t grow.
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Keeping the kitchen at work clean will also help the fight against unwanted germs.
In most work toilets there will normally be a toilet brush and/or toilet cleaner. Be considerate to the next person, and clean up after yourself. Wiping the toilet seat down if need be will also help out a lot.
Keep the staff room clean by throwing your rubbish in the bin and wiping up any mess you may have left.
Quick tips for keeping common areas clean-
- Ask your company to provide disinfectant sprays and paper towels for areas such as the kitchens and staff room
- Make it a habit to clean up after yourself
- Place signs around the kitchen and other common areas to ensure other staff members remember to clean up after themselves.
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Keep your workstation/desk clean
Your computer keyboard, mouse and telephone handset are normally crawling with unwanted bacteria that can make you sick.
Now, before you run off to burn everything on your desk, there’s an easier way! Make sure you clean these items regularly using a disinfectant wipe.
It’s also good to make a habit of not eating your lunch or breakfast over your keyboard, as food can fall in between the keys, making it even more of a hygiene hazard.
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Quick tips for keeping your desk clean-
- Avoid eating at your desk or workstation
- Keep disinfectant wipes handy, to easily clean up spills, or to just regularly wipe down your keyboard and phone.
By upping up your hygiene practices, not only will this help keep you away from unwanted germs, but in time will hopefully help up the hygiene practices of your colleagues and/or workplace.
A healthy, clean workplace = A happy, efficient workplace
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