STOP HERE By: Amanda Martini-Hughes, assistant editor Germs Hand hygiene is a proven way to prevent infections; now, it’s even easier. The Popular Choice The T Amanda Martini-Hughes is the assistant editor of Cleaning & Maintenance Management magazine. A graduate from Siena College, she can be reached at AMartini-Hughes@ NTPMedia.com. Since join-ing the publication, Martini-Hughes has worked on numer-ous industry articles and is responsible for populating the industry’s only daily electronic newsletter, CM e-News Daily. Chat online: Facebook.com/ CMMOnline and Twitter.com/ CMeNewsDaily. There is no question that one of the simplest ways to prevent the spread of germs is by exercising proper hand hygiene. But, while this simple act is usually impressed upon us as children, it is sometimes just not pos-sible to practice conventional hand hygiene with soap and water. In 1988, however, there came a solution: GOJO Industries Inc. introduced Purell Instant Hand Sanitizer, which would become the number one selling brand of hand sanitizer in the U.S. Since then, the market has exploded. A simple, but oftentimes necessary, product allows for proper infection control, even when best practices can’t be observed. tion of ethyl alcohol formulas. Sanitizers that are ethyl alcohol-based evapo-rate quickly, which makes them ideal for use in the food service and health care industries. Increased Use And Visibility While the importance of hand hygiene is not something that should ever be overlooked, it is not always at the forefront of people’s minds. It can, unfortunately, take severe illness or a widespread outbreak for the importance of infec-tion control and prevention to be seen as just as important as vaccines, cleaning for health or other well-known ways to prevent the spread of infectious germs. The recent widespread and highly publicized out-breaks of the Avian Flu and H1N1 influenza (swine flu) have grabbed headlines and media attention. The severity of these outbreaks often causes panic and leaves individuals looking for ways to protect themselves and their families. Pandemics often lead to ramped up awareness and education surrounding hand hygiene. Another reason hand sanitizers have become increasingly popular is because of the introduc-The fast and easy-to-use nature of hand sanitiz-ers have increased their popularity substantially in recent years, and not just when there is an out-break or pandemic. Hand sanitizers conveniently allow you to kill germs and protect your health even when soap and water aren’t readily available. Manufacturers have recognized the need and demand for hand sanitizers and have begun to cater to those needs. for more info Visit www.cmmonline.com and type in search keyword: Infection Control . For more information on related products, visit www.cmmonline.com , select SUPPLIER SEARCH from the main navigation bar, and enter keyword: Hand Sanitizer . Hand sanitizers are a quick and easy way to stop the spread of germs and promote a healthy envi-ronment for all. 18 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • August 2011 Image courtesy of GOJO Industries Inc.
CMM – Archives Aug 2011: 18
