Britain's Dirtiest Professions Exposed ..

BRITAIN'S DIRTIEST PROFESSIONS EXPOSED ESTATE AGENTS AND ACCOUNTANTS WIN HANDS DOWN! Next time you're about to shake hands with an accountant or estate agent then think again, according to a new nationwide survey by Carex*. Accountants and estate agents have the grubbiest grips with half of them being 'Walkers' rather than 'Washers' when it comes to washing their hands after going to the toilet! Chefs, waiters and hairdressers had the top score for hygienic hands while twice as many men are likely to 'walk' than women! The survey focuses on the bathroom antics of key occupations that come into contact with their customers and asks, 'Are you a Washer or a Walker?' as seen on the new Carex TV advertising campaign. It found waiters and chefs have the cleanest hands with eight out of ten (79%) proving to be 'Washers' and hairdressers a close second with three- quarter (73%) definite 'Washers'. But when it came to estate agents and accountants it dramatically fell to 55% of accountants and 51% of estate agents! WASHERS V WALKERS Men are twice as likely to be 'Walkers' than women. One accountancy firm in Birmingham commented, "I know that hardly any male accountants in this firm wash their hands as the towels and soap never need to be replaced!" 'Washers' tend to be slightly older and more mature than 'Walkers', with seven out of ten (69%) of those aged 25-34, compared with a third (36%) of the under twenty-fours who only wash their hands if others are watching! Regionally, Southerners are somewhat more likely than people in the North to be Walkers! DISHING THE DIRT ON TOILET TALK The survey also indicated that the workplace toilets are hot beds of intrigue and gossip: - 21% pass on intimate details of office romances when in the loo - 33% of those questioned admitted using casual encounters with superiors in the lavatory to discredit rivals and improve their own chances of promotion - 4 out of 10, under 25 year olds, confessed to using flattery and self-promotion when in the toilet with superiors to make a good impression - 1 in 6 use the toilet environment to discover exactly who is in or out of favour with the boss! MORE TOILET HABITS - 34% of those questioned choose to spend time texting in the toilet! - 1 in 4 are in favour of companies introducing unisex toilets, as seen in TV show Ally McBeal - 26% think that washing their hands is a waste of time - yuk! So, next time you meet your colleague, boss or accountant, think about whether they're a WASHER OR A WALKER before you shake hands! * Carex is the number one antibacterial handwash from PZ Cussons - Ends - - NOTES TO EDITORS: · Carex surveyed a sample of 600 including 150 employees in 4 professional sectors (estate agents, accountants, hairdressers and chefs and waiters) · Carex launched a £1.2 million TV advertising campaign on 2 September 2002. The campaign asking 'Are you a Washer or a Walker?' has been designed to 'prick' the country's conscience about their hygiene habits and encourage them to think more of the importance of hand washing, especially after using the bathroom. · To amplify the campaign, Carex will be posing the question to bathroom users in the washrooms of family restaurants & pubs, shopping centres and health clubs. The material includes mirror stickers, posters and innovative audio stickers featuring the Squirts' voices asking washroom users whether they are 'washers' or 'walkers'? For further information or photography, please contact:- Emma-Jo Aldridge / Yvonne Mitchell Biss Lancaster EURO RSCG T: 0207 497 3001 69 Monmouth Street F: 0207 240 1024 London WC2H 9JW Email: emma-jo.aldridge@bisslancaster.com [REMOVED GRAPHICS] ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by Waymaker http://www.waymaker.net The following files are available for download: http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2002/10/02/20021002BIT00880/wkr0001.doc Including pictures http://www.waymaker.net/bitonline/2002/10/02/20021002BIT00880/wkr0002.pdf Including pictures