Probably the most important thing that you can do to keep from getting sick
is to wash your hands.
All Safety Products, Inc. sells a nice selection of portable hand wash
stations and hand wash sinks to include a heated version of our Bravo model. There is our
Applause two station handwash sink, a four station handwash sink as well as our
Bravo double bowl handwash station. Whatever your hand wash sink needs
are, we have several models to choose from.
By frequently washing your hands you wash away the germs that you have picked
up from other people, or from contaminated surfaces, or from animals and animal
waste and avoid transferring the bacteria to other people. You can also spread
germs directly to others or onto surfaces that other people touch. And before
you know it, everybody around you is getting sick. This is the
benefit of having a portable hand wash sink nearby and accessible when you are
away from a water source. Oftentimes a simple handwash sink located in a
strategic location can prevent the spreading of harmful bacteria.
One example of this occurred in the 1800's where a physician noticed an
alarming mortality rate occurring in the maternity wards and found out that the
students who were working in the maternity wards as a part of their medical
studies were not sterilizing properly and were thus transferring pathogenic
bacteria from cadavers they were working on in class to the expectant mothers.
(Research on Internet using Ignaz Semmelweis as the search term.)
What happens if you do not wash your hands frequently?
You pick up germs from other sources and then you infect yourself when you
- Touch your eyes
- Or your nose
- Or your mouth.
One of the most common ways people catch colds is by rubbing their nose or
their eyes after their hands have been contaminated with the cold virus.
The important thing to remember is that, in addition to colds, some pretty
serious diseases and viruses -- like hepatitis A, meningitis, infectious
diarrhea, Ecoli, etc. -- can easily be prevented if people make a habit of
washing their hands.
When should you wash your hands?
You should wash your hands often. Probably more often than you do now because
you can't see germs with the naked eye or smell them, so you do not really know
where they are hiding.
It is especially important to wash your hands
- Before, during, and after you prepare food
- Before you eat, and after you use the bathroom
- After handling animals or animal waste
- When your hands are dirty, and
- More frequently when someone in your home is sick.
What is the correct way to wash your hands?
- First wet your hands and apply liquid or clean bar soap. Place the bar
soap on a rack and allow it to drain.
- Next rub your hands vigorously together and scrub all surfaces.
- Continue for 10 - 15 seconds or about the length of a little tune. It is
the soap combined with the scrubbing action that helps dislodge and remove
germs.
- Rinse well and dry your hands.
It is estimated that one out of three people do not wash their hands after
using the restroom. So these tips are also important when you are out in public.
Washing your hands regularly can certainly save a lot on medical bills.
Because it costs less than a penny, you could say that this penny's worth of
prevention can save you a $50 visit to the doctor.
Credit for Sources and Information go to the Center for Disease Control (http://www.cdc.gov)
and Google and Yahoo for their excellent Search Engines (
http://www.google.com ,
http://www.yahoo.com )