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Last Updated on April 4, 2023
Hand hygiene practices within the workplace are essential to limiting the spread of illness within your facilities.
Hand sanitizers have become a necessity in workplaces because going to the washroom to wash your hands with soap and water is not always practical.
However, just like in the case of washing with soap and water, the effectiveness of hand sanitizers in removing germs depends on proper use. This makes easy access to hand sanitizer and proper “how to use hand sanitizer”, “hand hygiene posters” and signage essential.
While we have all seen the poster of best practices for washing your hands, not many demonstrate how to use hand sanitizer properly. This is why we designed this poster – to make understanding hand sanitizer best practices simple.
Download and Print this FREE Hand Sanitizer Poster
This printable “how to properly use hand sanitizer” poster helps bring awareness to hand hygiene and helps to prevent the spread of viruses and germs.
These posters can be displayed alongside hand sanitizer dispenser stations.
Giving the people in your workplace a visual demonstration of how to apply hand sanitizer will help ensure those using your hygiene facilities are doing so in the most optimal way.
Effective commercial hand sanitizers like Purell have been proven to kill 99.9% of germs on hands in just 30 seconds. Pairing Purell with the proper guidance on how to use hand sanitizer is the best way to stop the spread of infections in your workplace.
With clear hand sanitizer uses guidance, employees and visitors can take good care in their hand hygiene and ensure they’re using the most effective methods to help support public health measures.
Why Good Hand Hygiene in the Workplace is Essential
Workplaces – even those that are well-kept and regularly cleaned – can be a breeding ground for bacteria. With so many people coming in and out and bringing bacteria with them on their hands, clothes, and shoes, there is no way to keep a workplace free from bacteria.
According to a recent study, which was carried out in consultation with Dr. Charles Gerba, Professor of Microbiology at the University of Arizona, office spaces have high levels of bacteria in all kinds of places.
The percentage of the office surfaces tested and found to have high levels of contamination, includes:
- 75% of break room sink faucet handles
- 48% of microwave door handles
- 27% of keyboards
- 26% of refrigerator door handles
- 23% of water fountain buttons
- 21% of vending machine buttons
Employees and visitors will come into contact with these types of surfaces multiple times each day. In order to reduce the risk of cross-contamination through touch it is vital employees practice excellent hygiene at all times to ensure the germs they touch are killed immediately.
The COVID-19 pandemic made many employees feel particularly anxious about entering the workplace and many of those worries continue even as the pandemic has slowed. However, with effective hand hygiene protocols and stations in place, you can build a sense of trust within your organization making all who come and go feel at ease.
It’s also vital to instil proper hand hygiene and hand sanitization practices in young children to prevent RSV, Flu and COVID-19 in kids and help protect kids’ health in the classroom.
Want to learn more about the most effective ways to apply hand sanitizers? Check out our 12 Tips for Using Hand Sanitizer.
How to Properly Use Hand Sanitizer – Step by Step
Hand sanitizers work by applying to the skin directly and the process should last for 15-30 seconds. Following these steps ensures you apply the sanitizer properly to cover the entire surface of your hands.
- Apply one measure of hand sanitizer into cupped hands
- Rub your hands palm-to-palm including wrists
- Rub the palm of one hand over the back of the other and vice versa
- Rub palm-to-palm with linked fingers
- Run the back of fingers to opposing palms
- Rub each finger clasped in the opposite hand
Similar to when washing your hands, hand drying is just as important to keep germs and bacteria away, remember to wait a few seconds to let hand sanitizer dry.
You can download Citron Hygiene’s free ‘How to Use Hand Sanitizer poster here with more detailed instructions and images for each step.
In addition to using proper hand hygiene practices, it’s important to use a hand sanitizer formulation that is effective. Learn more about the difference between alcohol and alcohol free hand sanitizers here, and why Purell is one of the top hand sanitizers we distribute.
Display How to Use Hand Sanitizer Signs in Your Business
Displaying a hand sanitizer poster could be effective in improving hygiene in your workplace. A study published on PubMed that examined posters as a tool to Improve hand hygiene among health science students found that posters are effective as a teaching tool.
Health science students in the study that were exposed to hand hygiene posters had a lower rate of hand contamination.
This study indicates that using posters can be an effective teaching method for hand hygiene. By displaying posters in your workplace, you may notice an increase in the number of people using your facilities that conduct proper hand hygiene and know how to properly apply hand sanitizer.
Citron’s how to use hand sanitizer properly poster can be displayed around your organization, accompanying hand sanitizer dispensers, so people are encouraged to utilize the hand sanitizer in the correct way.
This hand sanitizer poster should be displayed alongside any location where you may supply sanitizer including behind washroom cubicle doors to meeting rooms, stairwells, entrance and exit points, kitchens, and any other communal spaces.
If you’re looking to improve the hand hygiene of your workplace and would like to offer hand sanitizer dispensers on stands or mounted on the walls, learn more about our commercial hand sanitizer products and services.
