Providing a safe and healthy work environment is an essential aspect of any workplace. Bathroom hygiene services are required to provide an avenue for employees to maintain their personal hygiene whilst at work. Good personal hygiene is your first line of defence against gastro and infectious diseases like COVID-19, common colds and the flu.
Why It Matters
In the wake of COVID-19 people are more conscious of their personal hygiene than ever. Everybody wants to work in a clean and healthy environment. By providing the necessary facilities and hygiene services businesses allow employees to be their healthiest selves. A healthy workforce enjoys a whole host of benefits.
Staff Wellbeing
Excellent workplace hygiene reduces the likelihood of illness from the workplace and is crucial to the mental and physical wellbeing of your staff. There are many benefits to improved staff wellbeing.
- Reduced absenteeism
- Reduced stress and anxiety
- Increased productivity through reducing distractions
The environment a business provides its staff is one of the most direct ways its values are reflected. Staff are more loyal to businesses that show they are valued. In this case through utilising bathroom hygiene services to provide a hygienic workplace.
Steps You Can Take
As relayed by Safe Work Australia it is an employer’s duty of care to provide adequate washroom services in providing a safe and healthy workplace.
Here are just a few key considerations in maintaining hygiene:
Soap Dispensers
Whilst the most well-known step of maintaining personal hygiene the importance of washing your hands shouldn’t be understated. It is the single most important element in preventing the spread of bacteria. Along with following the best way to wash your hands, certain soaps or sanitisers will be more suited to cleaning different messes.
In an industrial workplace grit soap might be required to better remove the dirt, grease and oil being worked with on a daily basis. Fast food and healthcare organisations on the other hand might benefit from a quick, no water required, sanitiser.
More information on available soaps and soap dispensers can be found here.
Sanitary Bins
In addition to general waste bins every washroom should have sanitary bins. Whether they be used for hygiene products or incontinence pads, all staff should have access to a sanitary method of disposal for their personal hygiene products.
Sanitary bins are required by council bylaws to be in public toilets and disabled toilets. In non-public toilets they are required in both female and disabled rooms.
Sanitary bins should be handled separately to general waste bins as emptying a sanitary bin is not the same as cleaning and sanitising the bin. Disposal of sanitary waste in general waste bins is unhygienic for all other end users.
Regular Cleaning
To maintain the hygiene of a workplace, they need to be frequently cleaned. This includes the daily cleaning of the washroom and periodic cleaning of specific areas and items.
Residue or dirt builds up over time that may be inaccessible or impervious to common everyday cleaning practices. Items such as soap dispensers should be dismantled and hand scrubbed once a week while general waste bins should be hand scrubbed every two weeks.
Each industry has its own hygiene requirements, it is important to research what is required in your field.
Washroom Sanitising
Air fresheners and toilet cleaning systems should be used to maintain the conditions of a washroom throughout the day.
Automatic air fresheners significantly reduce lingering bacteria in bathrooms. Preventing airborne bacteria from spreading and contaminating other areas. They also provide a pleasant smell!
Toilet cleaning systems like the Bio Tab Urinal Maintainer clean, sanitise and deodorise toilets with each flush. Like with an air freshener it removes bacteria throughout the day helping maintain a hygienic environment for employees and other users.
Hiring a professional hygiene services provider ensures that you get information you can trust and a service that delivers. Hygiene Concepts has over 25 years of experience in providing professional hygiene services across multiple industries within Western Australia.
Contact the team at Hygiene Concepts with any questions about improving your workplace hygiene and hygiene services in general today.