The right hand hygiene: healthy through the cold season
Empty offices and full waiting rooms: cold infections and the associated sick notes increase significantly, especially in the cold and wet season. The overall economic damage caused by the flu epidemic amounts to several billion euros every year. What can companies do?
How are flu viruses transmitted?
Flu viruses are mainly transmitted by droplets containing the virus. These are released into the air when sneezing, coughing or speaking and can be inhaled by other people in the immediate vicinity. Viruses are also passed from hand to hand or via contaminated objects if they have come into contact with secretions containing the virus.
Many working people use public transport to get to work. Pathogens can be found on every corner of buses and trains, and the bus stop bar in particular is littered with viruses. Once they arrive at work, they often forget to wash their hands, so the pathogens are transferred to other objects such as door handles, stairs or keyboards. The flu virus remains active on the surface of these objects for up to 48 hours. If you then touch your nose, eyes or mouth, the viruses can enter the body via the mucous membranes.
Hand hygiene protects against infection
Regular and thorough hand washing reduces the number of germs by up to one thousandth. The WHO even estimates that 80 per cent of infectious diseases can be prevented through careful hand hygiene. The World Health Organisation has therefore also launched an international hand-washing day, which takes place every year on 15 October.
A mild hand cleanser, such as Aktivin® PuraSkin, lukewarm water and a clean paper towel are usually sufficient to clean hands sufficiently. It is particularly important to soap and rinse not only the palms, but also the spaces between the fingers and the thumbs. Thorough hand cleansing takes 20 to 30 seconds. Hands should then be dried carefully, as the cloth mechanically removes any remaining germs and germs multiply more quickly on damp skin.
Even if there is no washbasin in the immediate vicinity, you do not have to do without hand hygiene. In these cases, cleaning wipes such as Aktivin® RapidoClean or disinfectants such as Aktivin® PowerKill offer the perfect solution.
5-point plan to avoid sick days
To reduce the number of flu cases and prevent employees from infecting each other, companies can take a number of measures :
- Washrooms should be equipped with sufficient soap, ideally in a dispenser, and disposable paper towels to remove the last germs from hands.
- In areas of the company where particularly high hygiene requirements exist, e.g. when handling food or in the medical sector , additional disinfectants must be provided. In general, the installation of disinfectant dispensers at heavily frequented points in large buildings is recommended.
- The disinfection of door handles, keyboards and toilets is particularly important during the flu season in order to prevent infection among employees. The virucidal and bactericidal Aktivin® PowerKill, which is also available as a surface disinfectant, is particularly suitable for this purpose.
- Educating employees about proper hand hygiene is another measure to reduce the number of reports of illness. The following self-evident facts should always be emphasised: Washing hands before meals and after using the toilet as well as after arriving at work is particularly important. Employees are reminded of this necessity with the help of instruction signs "Wash hands " and "Don't forget to sanitise your hands" at .
- The placement of washing and disinfection instructions in the washrooms supports employees in proper hand hygiene and disinfection.
Content: 5 l (€8.81* / 1 l)
Available, delivery time: 1-3 days
