Short safety meeting discussion as below is to be held onsite on Weekly by Tamimi

Supervisor. The following topic was discussed & elaborated this morning: -

Infection Control is in Your Hands

Clean hands are your best defense against the spread of infection. Good hand hygiene
helps protect you as well as co-workers and patients from possible spread of infectious
agents.

In a healthcare workplace, good hand hygiene is important in stopping outbreaks of illness

and transmission of antibiotic-resistant organisms. Hand washing even slows the spread
of ordinary illnesses such as colds, the flu and gastrointestinal upsets. Regular hand
washing is also important in preventing harm from chemicals and other contaminants in
the workplace.

It's easy to see the reasons for good hand hygiene when working directly with patients
or in labs. Keeping your hands clean is also important in any job in a healthcare facility.
In food service, hand hygiene helps keep the food from becoming contaminated. It also
protects the worker from exposure to foodborne illness and toxins. In housekeeping
and engineering, hand hygiene helps reduce exposures to disease-causing micro-
organisms, chemicals and other harmful substances.

Here are just some of the work and personal situations throughout a healthcare
facility that call for hand cleansing: -

• After touching objects likely to be contaminated with micro-organisms

• After handling uncooked foods such as raw meat
• After handling human or animal waste
• After handling garbage
• After handling housecleaning tools
• Before eating or preparing food
• After handling shared magazines and newspapers in the break room
• After using another worker's keyboard, telephone or hand tools
• After using the toilet
• After blowing your nose, or coughing or sneezing
• Before handling your contact lenses

Plain soap and warm water are good enough for most hand washing, providing it is done
properly. Here is a reminder of how to wash your hands effectively: -

TAMIMI Safety & Loss Prevention Department (SLPD)

 • Remove watches, bracelets and rings.
• Get your hands and arms wet under a stream of warm water.
• Reach for the cleanser, which might be liquid in a dispenser or a bar of soap.
• Lather thoroughly, away from the stream of water so the cleanser is not washed
down the drain yet.
• Rub your hands together vigorously for at least 15 seconds.
• Scrub your wrists, the front and back of your hands and your fingers. Clean under
your fingernails.
• Rinse well under warm running water.
• Dry your hands completely on a one-use towel or under an air drier.

Good hand hygiene is more than just a quick rinse. It takes 15 seconds and some effort
to achieve clean hands.

ALCOHOL WIPES:
Healthcare staff who work directly with patients are making increasing use of alcohol
hand rubs. Washing often enough with soap and water – between patients and
procedures – is not always convenient or practical.

These alcohol hand wipes are also more effective than washing to reduce bacteria on the
hands. They also cause less skin irritation and dryness than does soap-and-water
cleansing.

GLOVES:
The use of gloves does not eliminate the need for hand cleansing, and hand cleansing
does not eliminate the need for gloves.

TAMIMI Safety & Loss Prevention Department (SLPD)