Celebrate National Hand Washing Week

National Hand Washing week is celebrated the week of December 2–8, 2018 and is a great way to promote better hygiene and reduce illness.

National handwashing week was begun by family a physician and infection control specialist named Dr. Will Sawyer. The campaign provides information about the importance of hand washing.  Hand washing is something we all assume everyone does carefully, but is something we could all probably be better at. By adopting the techniques advised by Dr Sawyer and his trusty partner Henry the Hand, the chances of becoming ill with infections such as flu, the common cold, RSV, bronchitis and pneumonia are reduced significantly.

The motto of National Hand Washing week is “Spread the word not the germs.”

The following tips can help reduce the spread of germs:

1. Wash your hands when they are dirty and before eating. 
2. DO NOT cough into your hands.
3. DO NOT sneeze into your hands.
4. DO NOT put your fingers into your nose, eyes or mouth.

Looking for other ways to keep your laboratory staff safe? Check out our Basic Laboratory Safety Specialty Collection or our Specimen Handling and Processing Specialty Collection.