Are staff uniforms being exposed to public germs?
15 March 2011
Hotels and restaurants live and die by their reputations. Not just because of the quality of their food, but because of how clean their establishments are.
This means maintaining high levels of hygiene; but how many continue to run the risk of cross-contamination from kitchen and restaurant uniforms if they are being worn by staff outside of the work environment, i.e. on the journey to work.Adopting a stringent workwear policy is essential for any high risk environment especially those involved with food. This was further highlighted recently, when Biocote® microbiologists carried out tests which proved that public transport, ATM’s and public phone boxes, all potential contact points for people travelling to work, carried high levels of germs – only public lavatories were ranked higher in the study.
The researchers carried out the swab analysis tests with a survey of 3,000 adults, which revealed that bus stops, seats on trains, trams and buses were ranked among the biggest health risks. In fact, they found that 35 per cent of respondents were so concerned about the risk of picking up germs and dirt that they did not even use public transport.
Worryingly, they also found the keypads on cashpoints, which are touched by thousands of shoppers every day, are as dirty and carry the same germs as the seats in public toilets. The swab samples contained pseudomonads, bacillus and bacteria known to cause sickness and diarrhoea.
Link Lockers, the UK’s leading manufacturer of high quality locker and storage facilities, has been at the forefront of developing storage facilities that help to reduce the risk of cross-contamination in high-risk workplaces.
Joeri Decae, Sales Director of Link Lockers said: “This is a serious business. Outbreaks of foodborne illnesses have spawned lawsuits and liability claims and have cost careless companies millions of pounds in settlements. They have also cost them millions more in reputation damage.
Biocote’s research serves to reinforce why it is so important that staff who have contact with food keep their work uniforms separate from their normal clothing, as part of the overall hygiene routine. Plus, with split shifts being commonplace in the hospitality industry resulting in staff potentially travelling to and from work in their uniform twice a day, the risk doubles. To manage this, employers need to provide adequate staff changing facilities and lockers that keep workwear and day clothing separate.”
Link Lockers is also the only locker manufacturer that protects all of its painted steel products with BioCote®. BioCote® is a silver-based anti-microbial technology that helps to reduce the risks associated with bacterial cross-contamination from surfaces with high contact frequency such as lockers. It is the most extensively tested silver-based anti-microbial technology, which has been proven to work in the hospital environment during peer-reviewed trials to help reduce levels of bacteria by an average of 95%.
“It is absolutely vital that catering facilities, hotels and restaurants do everything they can to ensure that appropriate hygiene standards are met,” Joeri said. “We at Link Lockers are doing what we can to address the specific needs of the sector.”
Link Lockers offers the most comprehensive choice of workplace locker and storage solutions. From standard and heavy duty steel lockers to specialist garment management lockers, all of the storage solutions have been designed to address specific corporate and HR requirements.
For further information visit www.linklockers.co.uk or call the free helpline on 08000 733 300.
Other Press Releases By This Company
- 15/03/2011 - Link Lockers responds to call for PPE Storage
- 30/04/2010 - Whittington Primary School Case Study
- 02/09/2009 - Link Lockers wins prestigious Welsh Schools contract
- 15/07/2009 - Link Lockers provide keyless solution for London School
- 08/05/2009 - Link Lockers helps give schools a sporting edge
