Clean Hands Toolkit - Businesses

Sarasota County has one of the highest percentages of reported flu cases in Florida – and regular flu season has yet to begin. Businesses and organizations like yours can play a vital role in helping to stop the spread of illness in our community. (Learn more...)

Clean Hands Commitment

Your participation in the Clean Hands campaign means you’re committed to preventing the spread of H1N1 by promoting hand hygiene.  The campaign expects three things from your organization:

1. Show your support for the campaign by displaying the Clean Hands sign.
2. Make hand washing easy and accessible for members, customers, or employees at entry and exit points of your facility.
3. Spread the word by sharing Clean Hands information with up to five other organizations or businesses that you frequent or associate with.

How/When to Wash

When washing hands with soap and water:

• Wet your hands with clean running water and apply soap. Use warm water if it is available.
• Rub hands together to make a lather and scrub all surfaces.
• Continue rubbing hands for 20 seconds. Need a timer? Imagine singing "Happy Birthday" twice through to a friend!
• Rinse hands well under running water
• Dry your hands using a paper towel or air dryer. If possible, use your paper towel to turn off the faucet

When using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer:

• Apply product to the palm of one hand
• Rub hands together
• Rub the product over all surfaces of hands and fingers until hands are dry.

When should you wash your hands?

• Throughout the day - germs spread easily
• Before preparing or eating food
• After going to the bathroom
• After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has gone to the bathroom
• Before and after tending to someone who is sick
• After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
• After handling an animal or animal waste
• After handling garbage
• Before and after treating a cut or wound

7 ½ Easy Ways to Encourage Hand Washing

1. Make it easy: place hand sanitizer at checkouts, registers, entry points, and other high traffic area. 
2. Sanitize reusable items like restaurant menus and shopping carts.
3. Share articles, information and stories with employees about the disgusting nature of unclean hands.
4. Under the sign in your restroom that reads “Employees Must Wash Hands Before Returning to Work,” place another sign that reads “Everyone Should Wash Hands Returning to Life.”
5. Adopt Time-Outs: Take a few moments every day to stop and sanitize surfaces (counters, shelves, keyboards, phones, etc.) at your organization.
6. Develop a message encouraging clean hands that your employees can respectfully share with customers.
7. Reward employees for using hand sanitizer. Give out random prizes for catching them practicing good hand hygiene. Create a contest where customers can sign-up to win a gift card after they use hand sanitizer.

7 ½. You know your organization best.  What can you do to encourage clean hands?  Let us know your secrets to success and best practices.