“Managing the process is the first Best Practice for improving hand hygiene and reducing risk.”

- Jim Mann, Exec Director, Handwashingforlife^®

The person-in-charge (PIC) of a food service operation has the ultimate responsibility for serving safe food. However, while safe food may be the first operating priority, it is not alone in demanding the time and attention of the PIC. In fact, at peak periods of kitchen activity, hand hygiene is often pushed to the bottom of the priorities that need to be managed. This is why establishing disciplined, quantifiable processes and practices are critical. They morph to a culture of cleanliness with the momentum for good behaviors to carry forward even when management focus is diverted.

Continuous patterns of positive behavior are normally driven by leaders who support their team with meaningful training and reliable feedback equipment to verify and quantify employee Safe Level compliance.

Getting Started: Add a counter to all your handwash stations and add handwashing counts to the top of your line check reporting process. Handwashing For Life recommends that the counter be located in the soap dispenser and often your soap supplier will provide these at minimal cost.

Counts may be taken by shift, daily, biweekly or monthly. Compliance rates are easiest to calculate on the day that all the employee hours are readily available.

Some operators run their system throughout the year. Others turn it on for spot checks and for setting training schedules.

This technology has proven to be reliable, flexible and very affordable.

Team and individual monitoring systems are expanding. Wireless versions are already available. We encourage operators to get started on the learning curve by testing this, the simplest method, to help assess the value of monitoring compliance. In our research we find we can at least double handwashing rates if implemented with full management support.

Process Verification Tools Checklist:

• Insure each handwash station is equipped with a reliable counter.
• Counters are now available in dispensers for soap, towels and faucets. Also available are free standing heat/motion activated units.
• Insure line check sheet includes handwash counts for each station within the operation.
• Establish the Safe Level handwash standards for each employee and build out the Team Tally - the number of handwashes per shift, per week and per month, depending on your reporting patterns.
• Monitor handwash frequency as part of the daily line check, post performance, address non-performance as a “team” and “individual” issue.

Leadership Companies:

If you have a leadership product or service in this category, please contact us for details on gaining Handwashing For Life Institute endorsement. Contact Jim Mann