Practicing proper hand hygiene plays a critical role in protecting against the spread of harmful germs, leading to a safer and healthier world. Unfortunately, millions of people go about their daily lives while silently facing visible and invisible barriers to handwashing in public restrooms. More people face barriers to handwashing than facility managers may realize—around one in five Americans experience difficulties using soap or hand towel dispensers due to an injury, health condition, or physical capability, according to a 2024 survey conducted by professional hygiene brand Tork, a part of hygiene product manufacturer Essity. Poorly maintained public restrooms can be a reason for people to leave their job, write a bad review of a business, or not return to a venue. Employees that may be uncomfortable with their facility’s restrooms could skip handwashing altogether and become ill or spread disease through the office. With 2022 market research from Essity revealing that 60% of people have a lesser opinion of businesses or venues whose hand hygiene facilities are challenging to use, having a poorly maintained restroom is a risk that facilities cannot afford to take. But what do these challenges look like, and how do they impact people’s experiences in public restrooms? Let’s take a tour around the restroom to identify barriers and walk through some tips for improving handwashing access for all. Gentle soaps and sanitizers are crucial In the United States alone, over 31 million people suffer from eczema and may find that some hand soaps irritate their skin, according to statistics from the National Eczema Association. Other conditions can also cause people to have sensitivities to ingredients or fragrances. Guests and employees living with these conditions are concerned about pain or discomfort every time they wash their hands in a public restroom. Stocking public restrooms with soaps and sanitizers that are gentle and effective is a must. Providing soaps that are kind to skin, are dermatologically tested, and have received certifications from organizations like the National Sanitation Foundation (NSF), ensures people with a variety of skin sensitivities are able to clean their hands without worry. Easy dispenser use means clean hands for everyone People’s physical abilities can change for a variety of reasons—including injuries and age-related conditions like arthritis—which can make using buttons, handles, or faucets in public restrooms more difficult. For anyone with reduced hand function, dispensers that do not allow for one-hand or touchless usage are often a challenge. This could mean restroom users aren’t able to properly clean their hands, and that cleaning staff have a more challenging time restocking the dispensers. Select dispensers that are easy to use for people with a wide range of mobility needs to ensure customers and employees can access the soap and sanitizer products they need. Easy refilling is also important so cleaning staff of all backgrounds can complete this task. Consider installing dispensers that allow guests to easily pull a lever with just one hand and/or have touchless sensors, helping everyone practice good hand hygiene. Hand towels are key to a calm, hygienic restroom Anyone who has used a public restroom with jet air dryers knows how loud and disruptive they can be. For those who are neurodivergent or have sensitivity to noise, these air dryers can make a public restroom a challenging environment. Hand towels can service more guests at a time than air dryers, and can be used for many purposes, including wiping down surfaces and helping restroom users avoid touching faucets or door handles. Hand towels also provide a much quieter, calmer, and less stimulating restroom experience for everyone, especially those with sensitivity to loud noises.
Organizations are making significant progress with their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, but their leaders might not realize that facilities need to be a part of the overall DEI strategy. Employees with physical disabilities, or who are neurodiverse, may find parts of the workday that are routine for others—like using the restroom—particularly challenging. Companies have a tremendous opportunity to boost their DEI efforts by making their facility restrooms more inclusive. Consider the information presented in this article to learn why the need for inclusive restrooms is significant and what steps your organization can take to ensure all employees can access proper hygiene. Don’t overlook hidden hygiene barriers Barriers to quality hygiene practices in public restrooms are often not obvious and affect more people than we realize. A 2024 survey conducted by professional hygiene brand Tork, a part of hygiene product manufacturer Essity, found almost one in three Americans face barriers to washing, including injuries, health conditions, or physical abilities. The condition of public restrooms can also discourage proper hygiene practices. According to the survey, one in three Americans cite dirty conditions as a barrier to using restrooms, including the restrooms in their workplace. This barrier can seriously impact employee mental health, workplace satisfaction, and business performance. Providing hygiene-inclusive, well-functioning workplace restrooms can help retain staff and maintain high employee satisfaction. Without these accommodations employees are more likely to leave the company altogether; one in six respondents to the 2024 Tork Insight Survey said they have left a job due to poor restrooms. Even among employees who stay, restroom issues comprise 45% of all office building complaints, more than any other reason, the Tork survey reported. Providing barrier-free hygiene in workplace restrooms is critical to ensure staff are comfortable in the office environment so they can do their best work. Assess employee hygiene needs Facility and company managers should take proactive steps to ensure the hygiene offerings in workplace restrooms will keep employees safe and happy. First, set up a meeting with the organization’s DEI leaders to better understand the company’s holistic strategy and how providing inclusive hygiene in public restrooms can play a role. Engage with employee resource groups (ERGs) about the topic of inclusive hygiene through a survey or questionnaire. This step offers the opportunity to hear firsthand about the barriers your team members might be facing, and how you can help them. Remember to keep employees’ comfort in mind by providing anonymous feedback tools for those who want to keep personal information private. Additionally, be sure to consult cleaning staff, who might also face barriers in their everyday tasks. Consider remedying these issues by providing high-capacity cleaning products and tools that have intuitive, ergonomic designs, and are easy-to-use. Start with small changes Next, take a close look at your existing restroom facilities—you may be surprised by the barriers you find. The 2024 Tork Insight Survey found that although 93% of company leaders and managers think it is important to provide inclusive hygiene in restrooms today, less than 50% consider implementing many of the accommodations that make hygiene more accessible, like gentle soap and accessible dispensers. Company decision makers might not view hygiene offerings as a place to act on their DEI strategy, or facility managers may not know where to begin to implement such changes. But restroom updates need not be a complete overhaul, as there are small changes you can make that will have a big impact. When considering your hygiene product offerings, think of providing soaps and hand sanitizers that are dermatologically tested to be mindful of those with skin sensitivities, like eczema. If you have hand dryers in your restroom, also offer hand towels for people who are sensitive to loud noises. Lastly, ensure that restrooms are regularly cleaned by leveraging data-driven technology, such as smart sensors, that identify areas that need attention in real-time. This technology will ensure your maintenance staff can deliver efficient and effective cleaning. It will also provide reassurance to restroom patrons who have a phobia of bacteria, struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), or are especially sensitive to dirty environments. Beyond providing inclusive hygiene, it’s important to raise awareness about the importance of it among employees and demonstrate your commitment to inclusive hygiene throughout the workplace. One way to do so is by implementing signage about inclusive hygiene elements in your restroom, such as a small sticker on dispensers to indicate that they are touchless. Boost employee productivity through DEI DEI is a major pillar of modern business, and it is crucial to think about all the ways it can apply to your business and workplace environment. Expanding your DEI strategy to include facility restroom hygiene shows that you care about employees’ health and are providing a quality environment to support them in delivering their most effective work. Take the next step in your organization’s DEI journey by ensuring inclusive hygiene in your facility’s restrooms through meaningful employee engagement and quality product offerings. It will make a difference for your business and the lives of your employees.
Washing our hands with soap and water is one of those tasks that we learn early in life. We learn to wash our hands before meals, after using the restroom, before holding a baby, and after coughing, sneezing, and blowing our nose. Many of us are even taught to wash our hands for a full 20 seconds, something that was strongly reinforced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, we would be hard pressed to find someone who hasn’t seen a public health campaign, watched a commercial, or heard a catchy jingle about the importance of handwashing. While it’s great that handwashing is getting the love and attention it deserves, it raises the question of why hand drying isn’t. After all, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), the Cleveland Clinic, the Mayo Clinic, and Harvard Medical School state the importance of hand drying after handwashing. Yet, no commercials or catchy jingles encourage us to do it. Strong data supports hand drying. In a 2023 Consumer Reports article, a physician from Mount Sinai Doctors Ansonia in New York City shared that damp hands can spread 1,000 times more bacteria than dry hands. CDC statistics show that in the U.S., more than 2.8 million antimicrobial-resistant infections occur each year resulting in 35,000 deaths. And according to researchers at the University of Westminster in London, when we thoroughly dry our hands with a paper towel after washing them, we decrease the bacteria on our hands by up to 76.9%. Make hand drying a habit Despite the variety of data in support of thorough hand drying, are consumers aware of it? Are they heeding its advice? A recent GP Pro survey on consumer handwashing and hand drying behavior in public restrooms found that just 55% of consumers believe the most effective way to clean their hands is to wash with soap and water and dry thoroughly, leaving nearly half who don’t consider the efficacy of hand drying. Further, when asked how clean they consider their hands to be when they’re unable to dry them through traditional means, more than one-third of consumers said very clean and more than two-thirds said clean enough. Perhaps we need to change the vernacular. When we encourage our employees and facility inhabitants to wash their hands regularly, what we really mean is for them to wash and dry their hands. Washing is stated, drying is implied. By not stating it aloud are we doing a disservice to the importance of hand drying? Do we need to coin a new word or phrase that encompasses both handwashing and drying, like washadry (wash and dry) or cleanwel (cleanse and towel)? Maybe we need to rename those public restroom stickers to say, “Handwashing and Drying Steps” or “Steps for Clean Hands.” If we intrinsically know that we should dry our hands after washing them, why aren’t we? Perhaps we need to build up our habit-making muscles. According to a 2021 article in the Harvard Business Review, roughly half of our daily actions are driven by repetition, which makes developing positive habits so important to our wellbeing. The article lists several steps for developing a habit, such as setting intentions and creating a schedule. It also suggests a dedicated commitment will drive incremental progress. Provide options for drying Although nearly half of the survey respondents don’t believe that drying hands is essential to having clean hands, 67% said not having what they need to wash and dry their hands in a public restroom negatively impacts their perception of the facility. This finding has relevance for facility managers and custodians. Regardless of whether consumers know they should dry their hands, regardless of whether we help make hand drying a habit, and regardless of whether consumers actually want to dry their hands, if no way exists for them to do so in a public restroom, the facility’s perception takes a hit. Fortunately, technology solutions are readily available to help ensure consumers have a way to thoroughly dry their hands when away from home. We’ve all been in restrooms where the paper towel dispenser is broken or empty, forcing us to use toilet paper or our clothing to dry them, or simply walk out with wet hands. One solution to this conundrum is automated, high-capacity paper towel dispensing systems that automatically switch to a new roll when the first roll runs out. Some of these dispensers include technology to help reduce paper towel jams. Smart technology is another solution for keeping restrooms stocked with paper products and other supplies. Internet of things (IoT)- connected dispensers send alerts to custodians when the dispensers are running low on paper towels, ensuring restrooms remain functional. These solutions help improve the likelihood that consumers will always have access to paper towels, which not only improves hand cleanliness and hygiene but preserves a facility’s perception. Look for a helping hand At the end of the day, we each bear responsibility for the hand hygiene information sources we trust and for our personal away-from-home hand hygiene behaviors and habits. But facility managers bear the responsibility of partnering with manufacturers who can provide a helping hand in ensuring the most effective hand hygiene habits.
Commercial restrooms can be a breeding ground for germs and bacteria. But more than just the germs, it’s a customer’s perception of a less-than-clean restroom that can turn them away from a business. According to a survey by Zogby Analytics, 55% of consumers are unlikely to return to a business after a bad restroom experience, leaving a devastating impact on sales. Baby changing stations built into restroom sinks are an innovation that can improve user experience and boost your facility’s image. However, it’s crucial for facility managers to keep their restroom sink stations well-maintained to keep patrons coming back to a hygiene-friendly space. It starts with the surface The trend to include baby changing stations in restrooms has become more popular due to the growing societal recognition of the need for family-friendly spaces. Now more than ever, it’s important that parents and caregivers have the necessary facilities to tend to infants and children comfortably in a public setting. As a result, commercial restroom manufacturers are providing customizable sink options to ensure everyone feels comfortable in the restroom. And when it comes time to customize sinks for baby changing stations, the right surface can make all the difference. Nonporous materials such as quartz support both the longevity and overall hygiene of sinks and built-in baby changing stations. Quartz sinks with rounded edges feature a seamless and smooth surface that can be easily cleaned and disinfected, providing a sanitary environment for parents and infants. Solid surface materials like quartz are also highly durable and resistant to stains and scratching. This makes them ideal for high-traffic areas like commercial restrooms, where baby changing stations need to withstand frequent use and potential abuse over time without showing significant wear and tear. Durable surfaces streamline maintenance and give cleaning crews time back to tend to other parts of the building. Customizing your clean Cleaning and maintenance teams can benefit from the wide range of sink customization options—beyond just surface materials—to help them do their job more efficiently. Slips and falls in the restroom are typically a direct result of guests dripping water on the floor as they go from the sink to paper towel dispensers or hand dryers to dry their hands. This problem is eliminated with the introduction of integrated sink systems with a faucet, soap dispenser, and hand dryer, all within arm’s reach in the sink basin. Not only does this design help to keep restrooms safer for patrons, but it saves maintenance teams from tending to wet floors. Other customizable sink options include top-fill soap dispensers. Maintenance professionals typically need to go underneath the sink to refill soap reservoirs, but top-fill dispensers eliminate this. Built-in trash chutes and paper towel holders help to keep sinks clean and trash-free as well. Countertops and fixtures alike are now customizable in a wide range of colors and finishes, allowing facilities to match the baby changing station with the overall aesthetic of the restroom. This flexibility creates a cohesive and visually appealing environment that provides guests with a positive impression of the restroom and the venue as a whole. As one of the most visited rooms in any commercial building, the restroom goes a long way toward leaving a positive lasting impression. Going touch-free with fixtures Nothing makes cleaning faucets, soap dispensers, and hand dryers easier than making them touch-free. Preference for touch-free restroom products has greatly increased in recent years, with consumer behavior driving the change as society becomes more conscious of hand hygiene. This past Memorial Day weekend, airline travelers broke the record for the number of people screened at U.S. airports, with the Transportation Security Administration reporting 2.9 million people, according to the Associated Press. With this amount of foot traffic in airports, cleaning manual sink stations and faucet handles to keep them at an adequate hygiene level would place an overwhelming strain on maintenance teams. Not only do touch-free faucets provide less surface area for cleaning crews to maintain, they also provide parents with a sense of comfort knowing that their hands will be sanitary as they attend to their infant.
Tork PeakServe® Continuous™ Hand Towel System sets a new standard for high-traffic dispensing, delivering a better-quality experience for guests and for cleaning staff. Research shows that dirty, overcrowded restrooms are guests’ primary concern at high-traffic venues like arenas and transportation hubs—even more than long lines. Tork PeakServe is designed to better serve high-traffic venues and improve the guest experience. The system is fully compatible with Tork EasyCube® facility management software, the first to market smart facility management software using technology to drive operational efficiency, increase quality and customer satisfaction, and improve staff engagement. With continuous flow technology delivering a towel quickly and smoothly, the Tork PeakServe system serves guests in three seconds—quicker than jet air drying time—so guests spend less time in the restroom. And, with compressed towels, Tork PeakServe holds up to 2,100 towels per dispenser and serves up to 600 more guests between refills. This gives cleaners a peace of mind to focus on other important tasks, without fear of product runout. Get your restroom crowd-ready with Tork PeakServe! Visit torkusa.com today to learn more, stop by booth 6631 during ISSA, and vote for Tork PeakServe in the ISSA Innovation Awards!
Evolve with EcoShell™ The stylish & wholly unique EcoShell™ universal air freshener provides flexible fragrance options using revolutionary Clip and go, clip and throw™ technology. The stylish EcoShell™ universal air freshener is a non-aerosol, VOC exempt scent solution that brings a variety of locations ‘out of their shell’ – evolve your space with EcoShell™. Eddie World chooses Vectair for their visitor experience Eddie World, based in Yermo, CA, labeled as ‘California’s sweetest destination’ is the premier travel center in the United States. At Eddie World, they want to completely redefine how people perceive gas stations. Hence, the biggest passion for them is their extreme dedication to clean and comfortable bathrooms. Ed Ringle, Owner of Eddie World, says; “We want our customers to have a pristine and perfect restroom experience each and every time they visit.We chose Vectair as their products work, we have no bad odors in the restrooms and our bathrooms smell great.” Recyclable vs. Biodegradable – what’s the difference? Here at Vectair, we recognise that the environment is important, and dedicate our time ensuring our products and industrial processes are recyclable where possible, ethical, environmentally friendly and economically viable. With that in mind, what is the difference between recyclable materials and materials that are biodegradable? Both sound good and both usually come with green, eco-friendly looking labeling, so where do the differences lie? Presenting the Professional Passive Program™ Vectair Systems Inc., has launched the “Professional Passive Program™”. The program includes VOC exempt products that all provide fresh fragrance without the need for batteries, aerosols, harmful solvents or propellants. These are Airloop™, Vectair Wee-Screen™, the World’s first triple action & dual fragrance urinal screen - Vectair P-Screen™, VAZE™ and the multi-award winning Vectair V-Air® SOLID. Vectair ‘Nose’ how to attract visitors with scent Attract new customers. Reach new audiences. It’s all about creating memories & moments that stay in the mind for more than a few hours. Could it be, that scent is the most powerful sensory trigger? With scent marketing, we can create scents to connect with a brand, allowing brands to reach new audiences, in new ways. Scent Marketing is an ever increasing tool that’s used to engage and attract new audiences – but how does it work?
Tork PeakServe sets a new standard for high-traffic dispensing, delivering a better quality experience for guests. With continuous flow technology delivering a towel quickly and smoothly, dispensing serves guests in three seconds—quicker than jet air drying time—so guests spend less time in the restroom. And, with compressed towels, Tork PeakServe holds up to 2,100 towels per dispenser and serves up to 600 more guests between refills. Get your restroom crowd ready with Tork PeakServe! Visit torkusa.com today to learn more, stop by booth 6631 during ISSA Show 2018, and vote for Tork PeakServe Continuous Towels in the ISSA Innovation Awards!
Following hurricane and flooding events, air tightness was the most significant factor across regions to predict indoor mold spore concentrations consistently in impacted residential buildings, according to a recent study in Environment International. The study analyses showed that the key factors for predicting mold spores are maximum flood depth, presence of a bathroom exhaust fan, central air ventilation, air tightness, and window blind status. This study looked at regions in Louisiana, Florida, and the Northeast, and determined air tightness was the most significant factor consistently across regions, while maximum flood depth was less influential in individual regions. Maximum flood depth demonstrated a strong and consistent correlation with increased mold spore counts, indicating that areas experiencing greater flood depths are more prone to severe mold issues. When floodwaters recede, these materials often remain damp for extended periods, providing a persistent source of moisture that molds require to thrive, the study found. Factors such as roof age were consistently found to have relatively smaller, yet important impacts on mold spores.
The World Health Organization (WHO) designated the Digital Ethics Centre at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands as a WHO Collaborating Centre on artificial intelligence (AI) for health governance. AI has the potential to reshape healthcare, save lives, and improve health and well-being. However, harnessing its benefits for good requires collaboration from stakeholders committed to robust governance, ethical safeguards, and evidence-based policies, WHO said. The WHO Collaborating Centre designation recognizes the Digital Ethics Centre at Delft University of Technology's decades-long history of cutting-edge research on responsible innovation, and its leadership in incorporating ethical values into design requirements for digital technologies. This inauguration marks the continuation of a strong partnership between the Digital Ethics Centre and WHO, with the two entities jointly organizing international consultations, workshops, and the development of normative guidance and training in the past. “WHO is committed to helping member states plan, govern, and adopt responsible AI technologies,” said Dr. Alain Labrique, WHO director of digital health and innovation. “We are witnessing remarkable progress, with AI poised to transform health systems and support individuals on their health journeys. To ensure these benefits reach everyone ethically, safely, and equitably, we rely on strong technical and academic partnerships that guide us in this rapidly evolving field.” The Collaborating Centre on AI for health governance will be instrumental in WHO’s efforts to ensure the ethical and responsible use of AI for health by advancing research on priority topics and providing expert input for WHO’s guidance development and policymaking. The center will serve as a hub for education and advocacy for science-driven research and facilitate knowledge-sharing and training through regional and country-level workshops. The Responsible and Ethical AI for Healthcare Lab, a collaboration between Delft University of Technology and its partners, will provide valuable insight into the challenges involved in the successful implementation of WHO guidance in clinical practice.
On Tuesday, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) released its latest figures in the ongoing measles outbreak in nine West Texas counties, one of the largest outbreaks in recent history. Since late January, 159 cases have been reported, with at least 22 patients hospitalized. CNN reported that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s Epidemic Intelligence Service said it is on the ground in Texas assisting local teams. Gaines County, Texas, the center of the outbreak, saw cases grow to 107. Most cases are in patients who were unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status. The majority of cases are in school age children aged 5 to 17 years old (74 cases) with cases in children aged 4 or younger also growing (53 cases). An unvaccinated child died of measles on February 26, the first death from measles in the U.S. since 2015. The health department said on Tuesday the child had no known underlying conditions. DSHS also reported four measles cases in Harris, Rockwall, and Travis Counties, that are not associated with the outbreak in West Texas, but international travel. DSHS also released data on vaccination coverage levels in schools, including conscientious exemptions. As CMM previously reported, Gaines County had the third highest vaccine exemption rate in Texas last year. Additionally, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has been promoting unconventional measles treatments in the media. Still the CDC and DSHS said vaccination remains the best defense against measles infection, and measles does not have a specific antiviral treatment.
On Saturday, March 8, the world celebrates International Women’s Day, a time to honor the achievements of women and advocate for a more inclusive future. ISSA and Hygieia Network once again are collaborating in celebrating International Women’s Day. The ISSA Hygieia Network is calling on industry professionals to empower women by helping them pursue careers in the cleaning and facility industries. Hygieia believes in a future where women thrive in an environment of unparalleled inclusiveness, growth, and opportunity. Its vision is to make the industry a place where women actively choose to build their careers, not just because they are passionate about it, but because the path is clear, supportive, and filled with possibility. By collaborating with industry leaders, Hygieia is committed to driving lasting changes, building connections, and creating a more inclusive and equitable future. Get involved with Hygieia Network today, click here. To visit the International Women’s Day website, click here.