A study into workplace hygiene conducted across Europe has brought to light worrying hygiene standards in the UK. The worst statistic shows that only one in three British workers washed their hands after a visit to the toilet.
Research has shown that 63% of women and 73% of men in Britain don’t always wash their hands after going to the toilet. Only one in three wash their hands every time, so just think about how many of the people you shook hands with today that hadn’t washed their hands.
The report also revealed that:
1 in 5 employees across Britain do not have soap dispensers readily available in the toilets and kitchens in the work place.
Twenty percent of British employees think the toilet facilities in their organisation could be a potential health risk.
Only 39 percent of UK workers are provided with sanitising gel despite prominent government advertising regarding the need for sanitation to stop the spread of germs.
Julian Gaze from Janitorial Direct said, “These results are obviously a cause for concern. Previous research has shown that the easier it is for men and women to wash their hands, the more likely they are to do so.†Products such as automatic soap dispensers and automatic hand towel dispensers could increase these figures massively.
Other findings also showed how hygiene standards in the work place affect the organisations reputation:
Over two-thirds of people (73% in the UK) say they would think significantly less of an employer if it failed to show a serious and responsible approach to hygiene.
At least three quarters (79% in the UK) believe that poor hygiene standards in the workplace demonstrate that an employer does not care about the health of its workers.
These results have shown that more needs to be done to help employers to keep employees healthy.