Failure to wash and dry hands thoroughly before and/or after certain activities (e.g. after using the toilet or before preparing and eating food) provides the means by which many infections spread. Hand washing is a vital procedure to be undertaken by learners and staff to prevent the spread of germs and therefore reduce the likelihood of illness. It is important that younger learners and those requiring support are shown how and when to wash their hands and are supervised when necessary. To encourage and facilitate effective hand washing the following points should be considered; The provision of hand washing training for staff who are teaching or supervising younger learners or those with special needs Supervision of hand washing for younger learners and those with special needs Visual prompts such as hand hygiene posters ( and ) Sufficient hand wash facilities should be available throughout the education setting for both learners and staff Sufficient hand washing facilities include; Hot and cold running water, (mixer tap and temperature monitoring valve are preferred). These should be checked and maintained Wall mounted cartridge liquid soap dispensers (a minimum of one between two hand wash basins) When empty, cartridges should be replaced (soap dispensers should not be topped up or decanted into) Dispensers should be kept and free from soap build up (undersides and nozzles) Disposable paper towels enclosed in a dispenser although it is recognised that warm air hand dryers may be preferred in an environment where large numbers are accessing facilities they are generally not recommended as; they take longer to dry hands than paper towels people do not spend long enough using the dryer
Failure to wash and dry hands thoroughly before and/or after certain activities (e.g. after using the toilet or before preparing and eating food) provides the means by which many infections spread. Hand washing is a vital procedure to be undertaken by learners and staff to prevent the spread of germs and therefore reduce the likelihood of illness. It is important that younger learners and those requiring support are shown how and when to wash their hands and are supervised when necessary. To encourage and facilitate effective hand washing the following points should be considered; The provision of hand washing training for staff who are teaching or supervising younger learners or those with special needs Supervision of hand washing for younger learners and those with special needs Visual prompts such as hand hygiene posters ( and ) Sufficient hand wash facilities should be available throughout the education setting for both learners and staff Sufficient hand washing facilities include; Hot and cold running water, (mixer tap and temperature monitoring valve are preferred). These should be checked and maintained Wall mounted cartridge liquid soap dispensers (a minimum of one between two hand wash basins) When empty, cartridges should be replaced (soap dispensers should not be topped up or decanted into) Dispensers should be kept and free from soap build up (undersides and nozzles) Disposable paper towels enclosed in a dispenser although it is recognised that warm air hand dryers may be preferred in an environment where large numbers are accessing facilities they are generally not recommended as; they take longer to dry hands than paper towels people do not spend long enough using the dryer