Australasian Mine Safety is the leading voice for all key decision makers within Mining company's and major contractors. Delivering the latest industry news as it breaks.
Issue link: http://ebook.aprs.com.au/i/52244
118 The Australasian Mine Safety Journal Summer 2011/12 HYGIENE AND SAFETY Bathrooms, Hygiene, Cleaning and Worker Safety Germs (including bacteria, viruses and fungi) thrive in moist areas and can be found in every public bathroom. Many modern workplaces also have shower blocks where additional care is needed to stop your staff from sharing infections. T here are two key OH&S issues with maintaining bathrooms. Transmission of infection between employees results in increased sick leave and can result in serious health issues. Floors which are not cleaned properly can also be slippery and can lead to slip accidents. The bacteria typically encountered include Staphylococcus, Salmonella and E. Coli but other bacteria including superbugs (such as VRE) are also prevalent in bathrooms. Shower blocks (where staff are barefoot) have always been a key area for the transmission of Tinea. Blood and body fluid are less likely to be found but can harbour viruses such as HIV and Hepatitis. Unfortunately not all staff follow the basics of hygiene such as washing their hands after using the toilet. An infected person can transfer these bugs onto any surface they touch including toilet, shower handles, sink faucets and doors. The "high touch objects" or surfaces in bathrooms – especially doors are a great, method for picking up bacteria. Even though you may have washed your hands you may be picking up unwanted bacteria on the door when you leave. It is very easy for germs and bacteria to be spread from bathrooms into the work place without proper hand hygiene. Hand Hygiene is recognised as the single most important factor of an effective infection prevention and control program. Effective hand hygiene practices helps to improve hygiene in work place. Along with washing hands after using a bathroom, instant hand hygiene products which can be used anywhere without the need of water, dramatically improve hand hygiene and help prevent the spread of work place illness. Whiteley Corporation has developed a new generation instant hand hygiene product call Handisan which improves hand hygiene and reduced OH&S risks. Handisan is a non-flammable, non-toxic, non hazardous, instant hand sanitiser which kills 99.999% of germs. Handisan has been developed to be used by mines site workers, where traditional alcohol based hand rubs present a significant OH&S risk as they are classified as dangerous goods, a source of ignition and require special storage condition. Bacteria can be spread into the air every time a toilet is flushed and settle onto any surface in the bathroom. Bacteria and fungi thrive in soiled conditions and soap scum and general soiling provide a nutrient source. With a proper cleaning maintenance routine using a disinfectant designed to kill germs and sanitise the surfaces in addition to removing soiling will improve the overall hygiene of the bathroom and significantly reduce the incidence of infection. Xstrata at Mt Isa had concerns that the products which they were using to maintain their bathrooms were not performing to high enough standards to protect their staff. Problems which Xstrata found in the washrooms were a heavy build-up of soap scum and grime. They were concerned with the floor as it had a high slip factor and staff were experiencing a reoccurring Tinea problem. The washrooms also had an odour problem. Xstrata contacted DP Cleaning for advice and was given a sample a SANSOL (manufactured by Whiteley Corporation). SANSOL is a product designed to disinfect and clean public bathrooms. SANSOL out performed the previous bathroom cleaning products in all criteria and also as measured by microbiological plating for bacteria. Since using SANSOL – these problems have been resolved. There have been no more incidences of Tinea, all surfaces are sparkling clean, the floor no longer has a slip problem and the odour has completely gone. Ongoing testing of the bacteria levels in the bathroom show they have dramatically decreased. For more information on how to protect your staff contact Whiteley Corporation. www.whiteley.com.au