Handwashing
August 2008

CANADA: Schools shun alcohol-based hand cleanser
30.aug.08
The Globe and Mail
Josh Wingrove
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080830.HANDS30/TPStory/National
The Winnipeg School Division is sticking to basics with old-fashioned handwashing, deciding to avoid alcohol-based hand sanitizer because it is potentially flammable and toxic, a division nurse says.
The policy, reported this week, means the division's 77 schools will not be provided with, and cannot order, alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Parents, staff and students will be allowed to bring their own, but students will be encouraged to use soap and water.
"We're simply not placing the [alcohol-based] product in our schools," said school division nurse educator Kerry Heather, a former pediatric-care and Health Canada nurse. She was asked to investigate the issue, and could not find any national recommendations on the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizer in schools. So, citing a recommendation by the Canadian Paediatric Society to emphasize handwashing with soap and water, the division developed the policy.
The cleansers are typically about 60-per-cent alcohol. "You don't see that even in a liquor mart," Ms. Heather said. They can be toxic or flammable. Instead, the school board will encourage hand washing at schools and non-alcoholic wipes for field trips.

BARFBLOG: Guest barfblogger: Seattle has officially washed its hands of the five self-cleaning toilets
19.aug.08
Barfblog
Michele Samarya-Timm
Barfblog Post
Oh, the news stories that catch the eye of one immersed in public health.
While we spend most of our time on this blog discussing issues that have to do with what comes after toilet use (handwashing, hopefully), the toilet facilities themselves occasionally come into the spotlight ….
The Seattle Times recently reported that Seattle has officially “washed its hands” of their self-cleaning public toilets. Which leaves visitors to that city without a convenient place to, uh, relieve themselves – as well as leaving them without a convenient place to wash their hands.
(http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008117767_toilets15m0.html
and Seattles Automated Toilets Plagued by Filth/Drugs)Too bad Seattle did not work toward finding a way to deal with any problems these public toilets may have caused. Finland found they could reduce/eliminate illicit behavior in their roadside toilets by allowing one to unlock the door by text messaging with a mobile phone. The toilets have been secured, and a sign outside explains that the user just sends the word "open" (in Finish) to a short code and the door will be unlocked remotely. The company managing the service will keep a short-term record of all users’ phone numbers, simply so that if the toilet is then damaged by criminals, they can be traced by the police.
http://www.boingboing.net/2008/02/04/sms-opens-public-toi.html
And across the globe, even now, more than 600 cities have automatic public toilets -- Singapore alone has 750, London 678, and Athens 500. And there are traditional facilities across the globe as well.
So what’s a tourist in Seattle – or elsewhere -- to do? Do you ask a stranger for directions? Advocate for conveniently located facilities? Or map out toilet and handsink locations before you ever leave the comfort of home? How about all three:
- Visiting England? The Public Toilets-Gut Trust recently began a campaign, Can’t Wait, Won’t Wait: Public Toilet provision in the UK to educate stakeholders on need to retain or provide adequate public toilets: www.theguttrust.org/campaigns
- How about those travels down under? Australia’s National Continence Management Strategy Project readily publishes locations of rest rooms on their searchable public toilet map: www.toiletmap.gov.au
- Traveling wherever the world will take you? The Bathroom Diaries www.thebathroomdiaries.com lists, describes and rates toilet facilities in cities throughout the world. Whether you stay close to home or are planning a trip, say, to China, Turkey or Florida, you can print out a list of public facilities in the cities you plan to visit. One can also enter search terms such as “soap” “changing table” or “don’t eat poop.”
- Do you ever find yourself desperately looking for a clean toilet in the city? MizPee http://www.mizpee.com purports to find the closest, cleanest toilets in your area and sends the information to your cell phone. One can add and review rest rooms, and check their toilet paper ratings.
- Then there’s Diaroggle www.diaroogle.com which helps one locate public toilets from a mobile phone. In addition to location, the website includes user ratings for cleanliness, the rules of gaining entrance, and occasionally even pictures snapped by users to show how good or bad the porcelain sanctuary is. According to the site, this is “ for the discerning, on-the-go defecator who is brave enough to use a public bathroom, but still demands a hygienic and private bathroom experience.”
In Seattle or elsewhere, we all can map our comfort breaks along with our travel itineraries. What a wonderful resource for a discerning on-the-go handwasher.
-- Michéle Samarya-Timm is a Health Educator for the Franklin Township Health Department in New Jersey.

BARFBLOG: Restaurant sinks are not bathtubs
12.aug.08
Barfblog
Andrew Reece
http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/2008/08/articles/yuck-factor/restaurant-sinks-are-not-bathtubs/
An Ohio man is in hot water for taking a hot bath in a Burger King bathtub. The video shows a man sitting in the sink, while other employees look on laughing. At one point the employee with the camera goes to ask the manager if she wants to come watch. The manager declines, but also fails to take any action. The video was then posted on Myspace. The fast food restaurant has fired all employees involved. They added that the sink was sanitized twice and all utensils were thrown out. Health officials are working with prosecutors to see if charges will be filed. However the health department has declined to issue any fines. If bathing in a kitchen sink isn’t worth a fine, what is?
The video contains some not safe for work language.
http://break.com/index/burger-king-employee-takes-bath-in-sink.html

NEW HAMPSHIRE: NH health-care workers handwashing put at 69 percent
09.aug.08
UnionLeader.com
Nancy West
http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=NH+health-care+workers+handwashing+put+at+69+percent&articleId=fc7c23f3-6a56-4219-897d-0755f642c914
Although proper hand-washing would go a long way toward eliminating hospital-acquired infections, a statewide survey showed only 69 percent of health care workers did so before and after contact with patients and their environments at hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers.
A New Hampshire Health Care Quality Assurance Commission survey used trained observers in November and December of 2007 to watch who does and who doesn't wash their hands in hospitals.
During 4,000 observed opportunities for doctors, nurses and other personnel to wash their hands in the state's 26 hospitals and 13 surgery centers, handwashing wasn't done 31 percent of the time, according to the commission's June 1, 2008, annual report.

BARFBLOG: Handwashing really needs soap and paper towel
08.aug.08
barfblog
Barfblog Post
Amanda Rials sends along this joke:
A woman went up to the bar in a quiet rural pub. She gestured alluringly to the bartender who approached her immediately. She seductively signaled that he should bring his face closer to hers. As he did, she gently caressed his full beard.
'Are you the manager?' she asked, softly stroking his face with both hands. 'Actually, no,' he replied.
'Can you get him for me? I need to speak to him,' she said, running her hands beyond his beard and into his hair.
'I'm afraid I can't,' breathed the bartender.. 'Is there anything I can do?'
'Yes, I need you to give him a message,' she continued, running her forefinger across the bartender's lip and slyly popping a couple of her fingers into his mouth and allowing him to suck them gently.
'What should I tell him?' the bartender managed to say.
'Tell him,' she whispered, 'there's no toilet paper, hand soap, or paper towels in the ladies room.'

BLOG: Follow up to handwashing/Wendy's post
04.aug.08
20-Something-or-other
http://20-somethingorother.blogspot.com/2008/08/follow-up-to-handwashingwendys-post.html
While reading the article comments on the Consumerist page about the Wendy's employee who was called out for not washing his hands, I came across a web site called On the Yellow List. The goal of this web site is to publicly shame people who have been seen not washing their hands in restrooms. This is hilarious! I can't say I'd be mean enough to put someone's name on there, but it's a great idea. The main reason why I wouldn't put someone's name up is that the chances the person would see their name on this site are slim to none. Also, I believe face-to-face shaming is much better than shaming anonymously.

US: Fry Guy doesn't wash bathroom hands, gets public shaming
04.aug.08
The Consumerist
http://consumerist.com/5032366/fry-guy-doesnt-wash-bathroom-hands-gets-public-shaming
Barfblog Post
When the sign says, "employees must wash hands after using bathroom," Brent takes it very seriously. He says he was using the toilet at a Wendy's, and spotted a worker use the bathroom and head right back to fondling the fries without scrubbing his hands. That's when Brent decided to call out the guy in front of the entire restaurant. Here's his story and what happened next...
There I am going pee in Wendy's by my office when a Wendy's employee comes into the bathroom and goes into the stall to pee. I wash my hands, dry them and exit as I hear a flush. I get about 3 seconds out of the bathroom and guess who comes out of the bathroom! I'm in gross shock at this point but I think "Ok maybe he's going on break and he will wash after he smokes ones..."WRONG! He not only went behind the counter he started handling fries! So what do I do? "Excuse me, I would like to see your manager.""Um Larry, this guy wants you!... I don't know he wants a manager!" Larry the manager comes to the counter and about 5 employees are eyes glued! Including Mr. Dirty Hands Fry-man. "Yeah that guy right there working the fries with the mustache, he was just in the bathroom at the same time I was and he left without washing his hands."
The room fell SILENT!
About 6 people were standing at the counter waiting for their food, plus 10 people sitting close enough to hear this, plus the onlooking employees, INCLUDING Mr. Dirty Hands Fry-man.Now Mr. Dirty Hands Fry-man had this look on his face that can only be explained as a look that said "YOU SON OF A !!!" Without actually saying a word. Fearing he might come over the counter or throw something at my head I bid them farewell. "I'll just go to Burger King." I watched over my shoulder the whole way and I am pleased to say that I saw a couple of familiar faces at Burger King a few minutes later.
Chalk one up for customers!
Sure, he could have spoken privately to the manager to handle it more discreetly. Or filed a complaint with the Health Inspector. But I'll bet you every worker at that Wendy's washes their hands after using the bathroom now.

OHIO: Wash those hands for a better fair experience
01.aug.08
The Newspaper Network Central Ohio
The Gazette
http://www.centralohio.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/B8/20080801/NEWS01/808010306/1002
The Ross County Fair: the fun, the rides, the food and the germs?
The county fair is a wonderful experience and is enjoyed by thousands every year. But it can also provide ample opportunities for the spread of viruses and bacteria.
While germs exist everywhere, events that bring large groups of people into close contact with each other and into close contact with animals and livestock, make spreading potentially harmful germs much more likely.
"The fair is a great tradition," said Kathy Wakefield, director of Public Health Nursing at the Ross County Health District. "But we really want to remind those who attend the fair that they should wash their hands before they eat anything, and that they should also be careful to avoid rubbing or touching their eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands."
Wakefield said the eyes, nose and mouth can provide easy access to germs entering our bodies, especially from unwashed hands.
One of the fair's main attractions -the animals -is also one of the reasons for extra vigilance, said Lana Cherrington, director of environmental health at the health district.
"Bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella occur naturally in the animal's waste," she said. "Very small amounts of the feces can spread to an animal's skin and their surroundings, and then spread easily to human hands."
Handwashing after handling or working with the animals is critical to avoid sickness and infections, she added.
One of the biggest concerns in a fair setting, she said, is when someone who has worked with an animal -or even simply touched an animal -fails to wash their hands before getting something to eat - making the transmission of germ-to-mouth easy.
Public health agencies at all levels, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Ohio Department of Health and the Ross County Health District, actively promote handwashing as a method of protecting oneself from sickness. Indeed, said Wakefield, it is considered the most effective way to prevent the transmission of disease.
By washing your hands regularly, she said, the fair will be a fun - and safe - experience.