Why washing your hands signs are so important

We’re all aware that we should wash our hands at certain points in time: before handling food, after handling raw meat, after using the toilet and so on. For businesses, signs advising people to wash their hands are a key part of legislation – more so for some business types than others. These health & safety signs aren’t just for show, though; there are numerous very good reasons why ensuring that people wash their hands on your premises is vital.

However you feel about them, mandatory signs are there for a reason – to keep people healthy by preventing the spread of bacteria and disease. Think about how many different surfaces your hands are exposed to every day: door handles that other people have touched, surfaces that may not be clean, animals that may spread disease and even unhealthy people. The best way to avoid passing on these germs is to wash your hands.

When it comes to mandatory signage requirements, hand washing signs should be placed in a range of areas across a variety of businesses, including:

– Toilets and bathrooms
– Nappy changing areas
– Hospitals, care homes and other medical facilities
– Waste storage or disposal areas
– Any areas where animals or items that have come into contact with animals are present
– Food preparation areas

While this may seem like a lot of locations, there is one key reason why they need hand washing signs: all of these areas contain elements that are at high risk of spreading disease.

There are many different diseases that can be spread as a result of a failure to wash your hands. E.coli can be spread by those failing to wash their hands after using the toilet, as it is present in contaminated stools. Salmonella can be spread via contact with infected raw poultry or eggs, while a variety of infectious diseases can be spread by live animals. Cold and flu bugs are often also spread as a result of unwashed hands. These diseases can cause huge amounts of discomfort and – in some cases – death.

Ultimately, it’s key to ensure that your hand washing signs are all present and correct in the right places – it’s a small price to pay for health and happiness.