SCA, a global hygiene company and makers of the Tork® brand of away-from-home paper products, showcases its commitment to hygiene this National Clean Hands Week (September 19-23) with pointers for practicing proper hand hygiene and preventing the spread of harmful bacteria.
While it is important to practice proper hand hygiene after using the restroom, hands must also be washed before coming in contact with food, as well as after certain activities around the office or home.
"People touch 300 different surfaces every 30 minutes," said Tork Green Hygiene Council™ member and assistant professor of Clinical Laboratory Science at Saint Louis University, Donna Duberg. "As many as 14 people in a row can be contaminated from touching a dirty door handle. Hands can spread the common cold, influenza, salmonella, E. coli, and many other dangerous bacteria and viruses."
There are many activities and surfaces that hands come into contact with during the course of a day. A few key times that call for handwashing include:
- Before and after preparing food
- Before and after visiting or tending to a sick person
- Before and after treating a wound
- After arriving at work or school
- After using public or private transportation
- After sneezing, coughing or blowing your nose
- After handling garbage or soil
- After handling an animal or animal waste
- After changing a diaper or when working around children
"The average human hand has more than 840,000 germs," said Duberg. "Many of these germs can lead to sickness and some may even be fatal. Keeping hands clean is one of the most important steps we can take to prevent infection and illness."
Hands have many areas that are often forgotten in the handwashing process. To help ensure no nook or cranny is missed, Duberg offers the following steps for clean hands:
1. Wet hands with clean warm water and lather with mild soap
2. Rub hands together and scrub all surfaces for 20 seconds (sing Happy Birthday twice); remember to wash both thumbs as they are quite often skipped in the handwashing process
3. Wash under nails, watches and jewelry, as millions of germs gather in these areas
4. Rinse with clean, warm water
5. Dry hands with a single-use paper towel until they are completely dry as damp hands transfer 500 times more bacteria than dry hands, according to research from SCA
6. Use the paper towel to avoid contact with frequently touched surfaces while leaving the washroom, such as the faucet and door handles
In support of its ongoing efforts to spread awareness of good hand hygiene practices, SCA's Tork brand offers downloadable handwashing posters, available at http://www.torkusa.com/en-us/hygiene1/hygiene-posters/.
For expert advice on hygiene topics, visit the Tork Green Hygiene Council at www.torkgreenhygienecouncil.com.
About Tork
The Tork brand offers a complete range of products and services within hygiene and cleaning for professional washrooms, healthcare, food service and industry. Through customer understanding and particular expertise in hygiene and sustainability, Tork has become a market leader in many segments and a committed partner to businesses in over 80 countries. Tork is a global brand in the SCA hygiene portfolio. To keep up with the latest Tork news and innovations, please visit: www.torkusa.com.
About SCA in North America
SCA's North American tissue division is one of the three largest producers of away-from-home tissue products in North America, supplying paper napkins, tissues, towels, specialty wipers, dispensers and soap used in commercial settings such as restaurants, office buildings, schools and healthcare facilities. Tork® products are made from 100-percent recycled content. SCA recycles more than 750,000 tons of paper a year; on average, more than 60 percent of those tons are post-consumer waste. The first American papermaker to earn EcoLogo™ certification, SCA also has earned Green Seal™ certification on many of its products. The company has more than 2,200 employees in the United States and Canada. More information is available at www.torkusa.com.
About SCA
SCA is a global hygiene and paper company that develops and produces personal-care products, tissue, packaging solutions, publication papers and solid-wood products. Sales are conducted in some 100 countries. SCA has many well-known brands, including the global brands TENA and Tork. Sales in 2010 amounted to $14.5 billion (USD). SCA has about 45,000 employees. For more information about SCA, please visit: www.sca.com.
Contacts:
Cramer-Krasselt
Bryce Huguenin, 312.616.8396
bhuguenin@c-k.com
