A follow-up study published in the May 2011 issue of Applied and Environmental Mi-crobiology reports washing with soap from refillable bulk dispensers can leave hands with 25 times more bacteria after washing and can easily spread to other surfaces. 2 The most recent study published in the January 2012 issue of Biofouling reveals that, once the dispensers are contaminated, bac-terial “biofilm” returns to the inside of them even after rare cleanings. The Biofouling study concludes that not even bleach is powerful enough to clean the contamination away permanently. 3 Growing Awareness The public is beginning to recognize the risks as news media reports increase on studies, including the bulk soap contamination work by microbiologist Dr. Charles Gerba of the University of Arizona and other academics. For facility owners and managers, public trust is a major consideration. A 2011 Harris Interactive survey sponsored by Cintas showed 94 percent of people will avoid a business if they have encountered dirty restrooms. Bacteria found in contaminated bulk soap dispensers are opportunistic pathogens that are commonly the cause of illnesses such as respiratory, blood and wound infections. So what can facility maintenance manag-ers do to make their restrooms cleaner and regain public confidence? Protect the health of handwashers and a building’s clean by using sealed soap dis-pensing systems. Once the commitment has been made to use sealed dispensing systems, a wide se-lection is readily available. Newer sealed system innovations feature clean and modern-looking designs, and their appearance contributes to effective hand hygiene by creating an image that en-courages the public to use them. giene,” Henry says. “Make soap use appeal-ing and engaging. If a dispenser looks good and is clean, that affects its rate of use.” “Dispensers really do affect the image of your facility, and there’s no better way to do that than with touch-free technology,” he continues. “It encourages people to use the soap and delivers just the right amount.” Henry recommends a design that incor-porates aesthetics and a sight window that actually shows the product being dispensed; this also helps encourage use. Some sealed dispensing systems offer touch-free performance and dispense the appropriate amount of product for an effec-tive hand wash while reducing waste. Further, a dispenser company can even provide a lifetime guarantee and replace-ment batteries for their dispensers. “Make certain your dispenser delivers re-liable performance and dispenses the right amount,” Henry says. “Fixing broken soap dispensers is the last thing the custodial staff should be doing. Reliability is key.” Henry explains that dispensers must be easy to maintain and service. Managers should choose based on the refill system, how often batteries need to be replaced and the ease of cleaning; does it take 30 seconds to service or three minutes? Camp Pendleton Henry provides the example of a recent soap dispenser changeover that facilities man-agement company Job Options engineered at U.S. Marine base Camp Pendleton. Job Options replaced refillable bulk soap dispensers with touch-free systems that use green certified soaps in sealed refills that lock out germs. Job Options Facilities Division Manager Margaret-Ann Pena says the dispensers, soaps and hand sanitizers were specified in the large-scale conversion at Camp Pendle-ton to carry out the Executive Order that re-quires federal agencies to purchase environ-mentally preferred products and services. “When do you ever clean a bulk dispens-er? Never,” she says. “We just keep pouring new soap in. The perception is, ‘It’s soap. It’s got to be clean.’ But if you look closely, you can sometimes see mold growing in the reservoirs.” She notes bacteria can get in the older, pour-style bulk soap dispensers. “It was extremely important that we elimi-nate this risk, and that’s why we use the sani-tary sealed snap-in refill cartridges,” she says. “We have actually reduced our costs since switching,” Pena says. “The thicker foam soap and touch-free dispensers provide the right amount for effective handwashing. The new system has really simplified our main-tenance routine. It’s much easier to manage inventory, and the refills are easier to store, transport and service. The Lifetime Perfor-mance Guarantee, which includes replace-ment batteries, is another cost and conve-nience advantage.” Military and civilian personnel have re-sponded very favorably. “Our customer — Camp Pendleton — is happy that we created a cleaner, healthier atmosphere in the base’s restrooms, and the fact the experience of the user is enhanced is known to increase the likelihood of people washing their hands after visiting the rest-rooms,” Pena continues. Sealed dispensing systems provide the solution to reducing contamination risks. In addition, today’s sealed cartridges are designed for recyclability, delivering a com-bination of social and environmental sustain-ability benefits. It can make sense on many fronts to tran-sition from refillable to sealed systems, for people, the planet and a facility’s bottom line. Facilities managers can eliminate the risks associated with contaminated refillable bulk soap dispensers and transition to sealed systems so hand washers can get what they expect: Clean hands. 1 Chattman M, Maxwell S, Gerba C. 2011. Occurrence of heterotrophic and coliform bacteria in liquid hand soaps from bull refillable dispensers in public facilities. J Environ Health. 73(7): 26-29. 2 Zapka C, Campbell E., Maxwell S, Gerba C, Dolan M, Arbogast J, Macinga D. 2011. Bacte-rial hand contamination and transfer after use of contaminated bulk-soap-refillable dispens-ers. Appl Environ Microbiol. 77(9): 2898-2904. 3 Lorenz L, Ramsay B, Goeres D, Fields M., Za-pka C., Macinga D. 2012. Evaluation and re-mediation of bulk soap dispensers for biofilm. Biofouling., 28(1): 99-109. CM Dispensing Advice Rick Henry, product management director for GOJO dispensing systems, offered a few tips for facilities maintenance and janitorial managers. “Be proactive and take steps to help en-courage people to practice good hand hy-www.cmmonline.com 29
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