Did you know the shortcut to fewer sick days and infection (e.g. flue) prevention is better hand hygiene?

Your hands – the biggest source of transmitted infection in Denmark. ’A’ shakes hands with ’B’ and transmits infection. ’B’ shakes hands with ’C’ and transmits the same infection. A local epidemic has been triggered. Quite soon, 50% of the employees in the relevant company will be ill and unable to work. Nobody benefits – but could the situation had been prevented?

Our top 10 recommendations on how you as an individual can prevent transmission of flue infection:

1. Exercise. You maintain a strong immune defence against a cold and flue if you stay fit. Once you have gotten ill, then the exercise (with its increased blood circulation and white blood cells) will contribute to combat the illness. On the contrary, too strong exercise may have the opposite effect!
2. Get enough sleep. Your immune defence needs sufficient sleep. If you are hard hit, then will plenty of sleep help get through any illness more quickly
3. Wash and disinfect your hands. Make sure to wash hands frequently and supplement with hand disinfection, which will provide good protection against infections. If you are already ill, then the proposed hand hygiene will ensure you do not infect anyone else.
4. Do not touch your face. The main source of infections is your hands that transmit bacteria and virus from the face and body openings such as the mouth and nose
5. Avoid stress. Your body and immune defence will be weakened and increase the risk of illness
6. Avoid smoking, it deteriorates your immune defence and makes the mucusae sensitive
7. Eat D vitamin. Eat additional D vitamin and support your immune defence
8. Eat C vitamin. Eat sufficient C vitamin fruit and vegetables with C vitamin supplements
9. Eat healthily. A healthy and varied diet is recommended, including meat (proteins) which benefit your immune defence
10. Get vaccinated. Increase the odds of fighting the flue with a flue vaccination

Our top 10 recommendations why the company should help to prevent its employees getting infected with influenza:

1. Keep soap readily available
2. Keep hand disinfection readily available
3. A hand desinfection dispenser is recommended in the canteen and reception areas
4. Provide pocket-sized bottles with disinfection for employees who are frequently offsite
5. Mount wash and disinfection guidelines available in strategic positions
6. Frequently clean objects touched by multiple people, e.g. keyboards, telephones, toilets, etc.
7. Disinfect your hands at the start and end of your work day
8. Sneeze into a sleeve instead of your hands
9. Disinfect hands in conjunction with meals
10. Perform washing and disinfection after toilet use

Wash or disinfect?

It is never either or; it is and. You must combine hand wash and hand disinfection for effectively fighting off infections.

View our instruction video for hand wash/hand disinfection and get quick guidance on correct and thorough hand disinfection. Read our guidance below and download our hand wash/hand disinfection guidelines in PDF format and display the material where you make the hygiene products available for your staff. Hence, you will optimise hand hygiene and reduce your employees’ sick days. 

Wash your hands for the visible dirt:

1. Wet hands and wrists, apply soap
2. Distribute soap to each finger, between the fingers, the back of the hand and around the wrist
3. Work in a mechanic motion for at least 15 seconds
4. Rinse with cold / tempered water
5. Dry with disposable tissue

Perform hand disinfection for invisible dirt:

1. Hand disinfection is performed on clearly clean and dry skin
2. Apply sufficient (2-5 ml) hand disinfection agent, distribute and rub completely on all fingers, between the fingers, on the back of the hand, in the palm and around the wrist
3. Keep the skin moistened with the hand disinfection agent for at least 30 seconds
4. Rub until dry