Hand hygiene at workplaces and in shops

Taking care of employees’ and customers’ health shows appreciation

Up to 80% of flu and stomach flu infections spread through the hands. Personal hand hygiene and regular disinfecting cleaning of surfaces effectively stops the progress of infectious diseases. Hand skin care is also good hand hygiene because huge amounts of bacteria and viruses live on broken and peeling skin and areas of inflammation. Healthy skin is also more resistant to microbial attacks.

Employers can show their appreciation in small ways, such as by providing hand sanitiser for customers and employees and by paying investing in hand-washing locations. Offering employees vaccination against, for example, seasonal influenza may also be very helpful to employees during the worst flu season. Good hand hygiene concerns and benefits everyone. It is important to keep surfaces hygienic, especially during the flu season. It is especially important to ensure the cleanliness of shared facilities, such as break rooms, dressing rooms and bathrooms.

Eliminate unnecessary sick leaves

In Finland, around 14,600 employees are on sick leave every day. Sick leave costs the employer money and requires special arrangements, thereby causing additional work to the entire organisation and its healthy employees. According to the assessments of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, one-half of all absences are due to infectious diseases. Good hand hygiene could reduce absences by a third, and maybe more.

The sick should stay at home

It is not sensible to go to work when you are sick because that puts all of your co-workers at risk of infection. When you are sick, you should pay special attention to washing your hands always after sneezing or blowing your nose.

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