Where Should Employees Wash Their Hands?

Germs spread quickly, often through direct contact. They live on doorknobs, food contact surfaces, and other high-touch areas, where they hitch a ride on your hands. If you touch another surface or your face, you risk spreading the germs to others and making yourself sick.

Washing your hands with soap and running reduces that risk. It’s an effective method of removing nearly all of the germs on your hands, which helps keep everyone safe and healthy. So, as long as employees are washing their hands in a sink — any sink — everyone is safe and healthy, right?

Not exactly. For starters, it’s critical employees wash their hands the right way and for a long enough time to get them clean. And it’s equally critical that employees don’t wash their hands in whatever sink is handy. A dedicated handwashing sink is crucial for food safety, preventing foodborne illnesses from spreading, and disease control.

Why Handwashing Is Important

Proper hand hygiene, like frequent hand washing, helps prevent employees from spreading germs and getting sick. According to the CDC, handwashing:

• Reduces respiratory illnesses by as much as 21%
• Reduces absenteeism in schools by as much as 57%
• Reduces diarrheal illness in people with weakened immune systems by as much as 40%

Where Employees Should Wash Their Hands

Some states have strict regulations that dictate where employees should wash their hands, but not all do. In states that don’t regulate handwashing sinks, industry standards may influence how and where employees wash their hands.

Food Handlers

Food handlers and food workers should wash their hands in a designated handwashing sink, meaning a sink that’s only used for hands, not food preparation or washing dishes.

Food workers wash their hands frequently, so it’s important to have handwashing sinks throughout the food preparation area. This ensures they don’t cross-contaminate food or spread foodborne illnesses.

School and Daycares

School and daycare employees should also wash their hands frequently in handwashing sinks and make sure the children wash their hands too!

If a school or daycare serves food or has a food preparation area, the facility needs a dedicated handwashing sink so staff can wash their hands before they prepare food. Diaper change areas also need handwashing sinks.

Body Artists

Body artists, like tattoo artists or piercers, are generally required to wash their hands before and after every procedure. While the regulations vary by state, most body art shops need dedicated handwashing sinks for staff. These sinks can be located in the bathroom, though, as long as that sink isn’t used to wash tattooing or piercing supplies.

Cosmetologists

Cosmetologists can be exposed to fungal infections and infectious diseases, making frequent handwashing a must for safety. Most salons are required to have dedicated handwashing sinks in the facility to ensure technicians can wash their hands as necessary. Some salons have handwashing sinks at each station.

When Employees Should Wash Their Hands

Employees should make it a point to wash their hands throughout the day. However, it’s most important to wash hands:

• Before and after prepping food
• Before and after handling raw meat and eggs
• Before putting on disposable gloves
• Before and after breaks
• Before and after eating, drinking, or smoking
• Before and after caring for someone who’s sick
• Before and after treating a cut or wound
• Before and after touching a patient or client
• When you prepare food and switch between tasks (like going from raw poultry to fresh vegetables)
• After using the toilet
• After removing disposable gloves
• After handling chemicals (anything stronger than hand soap or hand sanitizer)
• After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
• After touching an animal, animal waste, or animal feed
• After handling garbage or cleaning
• After washing dishes
• Whenever your hands are visibly dirty

Can Hand Sanitizer Replace Proper Hand Washing?

If hand washing facilities are not available, you can use a hand sanitizer that’s at least 60% alcohol. However, alcohol-based hand sanitizer may not eliminate all germs, so wash your hands with soap and water as soon as possible.

How to Wash Hands Properly

No matter the industry, proper hand washing goes a long way toward keeping staff safe. Here are the five steps for washing hands properly, according to the CDC.

1. Wet hands. Wet hands with warm or cold clean, running water, then apply soap.
2. Lather hands. Rub hands together to lather the soap. Don’t forget the back of the hands, between the fingers, and under nails.
3. Scrub hands. Scrub the hands for at least 20 seconds. Sing “Happy Birthday” twice to make sure you wash your hands for that long.
4. Rinse hands. Rinse hands under clean, running water.
5. Dry hands. Use a clean towel or air dryer to dry the hands thoroughly. 

It’s important to note that you should use running water to wash your hands because standing water could recontaminate your hands (not to mention it saves water!). Also, consider turning the tap off and opening the door using a clean, disposable paper towel (if available) to keep your hands clean and germ-free. 

Common Handwashing Mistakes

Improper hand washing increases the likelihood of not washing all the germs off. Here are some common mistakes people make when washing their hands:

• Not washing long enough. It’s crucial to wash hands for at least 20 seconds. Not washing hands long enough means you may not remove all the germs.
• Not scrubbing the hands. Rubbing the hands together creates friction, which removes dirt and germs from the skin.
• Using too little soap. Use enough soap to get a good lather going. If the soap stops lathering while you’re washing, add some more and start over.
• Only washing the palms. While the palms (front) of the hands do most of the touching, germs can get everywhere. Don’t forget to wash between the fingers, under the nails, and the back of the hands to ensure you get every germ.
• Not drying hands. Wet hands tend to attract germs, so thorough drying after washing helps them stay clean. If there are no paper towels or a hot air dryer, resist the urge to dry your hands on your pants. Wave them around to remove the water until you can get a clean towel.

Help Employees Wash Their Hands

Good hand hygiene and proper handwashing start with a designated handwashing sink. Add some soap, running water, and paper towels, and you’re on your way to providing employees with a safe and effective way to prevent the spread of germs.

Ensuring you have enough handwashing sinks for employees can mean installing new ones, but this isn’t always an easy or affordable option when you have to add new plumbing. Fortunately, Ozark River Manufacturing’s portable sinks are an easier, low-cost solution. Our portable sinks have hot and cold running water, soap dispensers, paper towel holders, and are perfect for:

• Bars
• Beauty, Day Spas, & Wellness
• Commercial
• Construction & Job Sites
• Daycare
• Classrooms
• Events, Concerts, & Weddings
• Farms & Barns
• Restaurants & Food Service
• Garages & Workshops
• Healthcare & Clinics
• Patio & Home Use
• Retail Stores
• Science Labs
• Tattoo and Body Art Shops

Contact us today and learn how Ozark River Manufacturing’s portable sinks are the perfect solution for your business.