5 Handy Hacks to Help You Survive Cold and Flu Season

Take out your sweaters and prepare for sniffles – cold and flu season is upon us.  Starting in October and dragging out until May, the season flu can hit at any time.  In 2014-2015, Canada saw more than 43,000 cases of the flu, nearly doubling the previous year. Considering that 80% of common infections,  including the flu, can be spread through contaminated hands, there’s never a more important time to remind yourself, coworkers, family and friends the importance of hand hygiene.

To make your workplace and home a healthier, more productive environment, it’s crucial to take healthy actions like getting a flu shot and establish regular hand hygiene practices.

Promoting a Healthy Work Culture

A recent study found that within four hours, a virus similar to the flu spread to more than 50 percent of surfaces and employees in an office.  With an average 9.3 sick days per person, absenteeism due to illness in Canada is estimated to cost the Canadian economy $16.6 billion.  Lost work days lead to lost productivity – harming a business in more ways than one.

Yet, lost productivity and sales isn’t the only problem.  When walking up with flu-like symptoms, may people still choose to go into work.  Reminding employees to use sick days when needed is a major step in preventing further infection and promoting a healthy workplace culture.

This cold and flu season, draw attention to the many ways employees can limit their risk of infection and keep the working environment clean, healthy and productive for everyone with these hand life hacks:

1. Re-learn how to wash your hands
   This year, encourage yourself, coworkers and others to wash hands properly.  Make sure to wash you hands for at least 20 seconds (try singing the chorus of a favorite song twice), and scrub all areas of the hands, including under your fingernails, in-between fingers and the backs of the hands.  Hands should be rinsed with warm water and dried completely with clean, disposable towels.
2. Use a paper towel to open doors
   After hands have been cleaned, the last thing you want to do is contaminate them by touching a dirty door knob or light switch.  Using a paper towel to touch high-touch surfaces creates an effective barrier, ensuring hands stay clean well after they are washed.
3. Keep hand sanitizer ready
   Hand sanitizer placed at desks and near entryways and exits in the workplace encourages employees to use it throughout the day when soap and water isn’t available.
4. Create helpful reminders
   Whether it’s a sticky note on your cubical or a digital reminder on your computer screen, keep tabs on your hand hygiene throughout the day by leaving behind helpful reminders to wash hands a few times a day.
5. Disinfect your workspace
   Did you know that most workspaces have hundred more times bacteria than a toilet seat?  Even if your office is regular cleaned, make sure to wipe down your computer keyboard, mouse, pens and desk regularly.  It only takes one sick coworker to cough or sneeze near your desk to contaminate your workspace.

Watch our Cold Weather Gear safety tips video!

Healthy Hands, Healthy Year

Just as germs can quickly build up in the workplace, they can easily infect an entire home.  To ensure your family is safe from cold and flu bugs, make sure to encourage hand hygiene at home with regular routines such as after eating, after touching a pet, playing outside or taking out the trash.  Every year, cold and flu season makes a dramatic appearance in the workplace, schools and homes. This year, take a stance and use every day hand hygiene hacks to prevent the spread of infection.  After all, healthy hands lead to a healthier, more productive year for everyone.

Safety Products Inc

View a related blog post on The 4 Steps of an Occupational Skin Program

View our post on What PPE Should you be Wearing for Cold Weather Safety

Blog post provided by DebGroup.