Jump to content

  • Quick Navigation
Photo

Hand dryers! microbes?

Share this

  • You cannot start a new topic
  • Please log in to reply
10 replies to this topic
- - - - -

FlotoYo

    Grade - AIFSQN

  • IFSQN Associate
  • 35 posts
  • 5 thanks
1
Neutral

  • United States
    United States

Posted 16 March 2018 - 04:08 PM

Hi! We are trying to build out new bathrooms and I REALLY REALLY want to use air dryers (only in the restrooms, not at the kitchen hand washing sinks.).

 

My QA says it's impossible because of the spread of microbes in the air. But if a person fully washes their hands with E2 soap (sanitizing soap), won't that risk be next to nothing? And doesn't it stand to reason that paper towels also hold microbes that can then get back ONTO clean hands?

 

Has anyone dealt with this issue? Any advice from SQF practitioners?

 

I would love to be more environmentally conscientious.



Scampi

    Fellow

  • IFSQN Fellow
  • 5,444 posts
  • 1507 thanks
1,524
Excellent

  • Canada
    Canada
  • Gender:Not Telling

Posted 16 March 2018 - 04:14 PM

The risk is that the machines themselves do not get cleaned so they stay warm and wet and are a breeding ground..........not recommended in the industry at all

 

http://nationalpost....pread-to-humans


Please stop referring to me as Sir/sirs


Thanked by 1 Member:

GrumpyJimmy

    Grade - MIFSQN

  • IFSQN Member
  • 123 posts
  • 28 thanks
3
Neutral

  • Wales
    Wales
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:South West
  • Interests:IronMan Competitor & Film lover
    IFSQN Member of the Month July 2017 and chuffin proud!

Posted 16 March 2018 - 04:30 PM

Flotoyo Hi, Ive seen some brilliant articles on these and tests done with bacterial plates. Towel vs conventional dryers vs them blade super dryers which showed that paper towels were the safest. I have worked on a HR site that has those Dyson type air blade dryers and there was no issue with auditors. There is some mixed information out there but personally paper towel for me is the best.

 

Jimmy



Thanked by 1 Member:

FlotoYo

    Grade - AIFSQN

  • IFSQN Associate
  • 35 posts
  • 5 thanks
1
Neutral

  • United States
    United States

Posted 16 March 2018 - 04:32 PM

Flotoyo Hi, Ive seen some brilliant articles on these and tests done with bacterial plates. Towel vs conventional dryers vs them blade super dryers which showed that paper towels were the safest. I have worked on a HR site that has those Dyson type air blade dryers and there was no issue with auditors. There is some mixed information out there but personally paper towel for me is the best.

 

Jimmy

jimmy thank you!

 

Sorry, I'm not sure what an HR site is. Is it a food manufacturing facility?



FurFarmandFork

    Food Safety Consultant, Production Supervisor

  • IFSQN Fellow
  • 1,264 posts
  • 590 thanks
206
Excellent

  • United States
    United States
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Oregon, USA

Posted 21 March 2018 - 07:00 PM

I recently completed a literature review on had dryers vs. paper towels that you may find helpful and may help your QA folks come up with an appropriate evaluation.

 

http://furfarmandfor...ying-adventure/


Austin Bouck
Owner/Consultant at Fur, Farm, and Fork.
Consulting for companies needing effective, lean food safety systems and solutions.

Subscribe to the blog at furfarmandfork.com for food safety research, insights, and analysis.

Thanked by 1 Member:

Ryan M.

    Grade - FIFSQN

  • IFSQN Fellow
  • 1,327 posts
  • 479 thanks
290
Excellent

  • United States
    United States
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Birmingham, AL
  • Interests:Reading, crosswords, passionate discussions, laughing at US politics.

Posted 21 March 2018 - 10:06 PM

We use both.  Our hand dryers are the Dyson air blades.  They work very well when they are maintained and monitored.  

 

The key is to put them on a regular master sanitation which includes pulling apart the bottom end of the dryer and cleaning / sanitizing inside.  In addition to this, changing out the pre-filter on a regular basis (frequency is determined by your usage).  We monitor the air quality each month to see when we need to change out the pre-filters.

 

If you go this route be sure do have an effective control program in place.  If you purchase the Dyson air blades be aware the pre-filter is attached to the HEPA filter.  You don't need to change the HEPA filter more than once every few years if you change out the pre-filter regularly.  We cut custom pre-filters to size to fit in the hand dryers.  It has worked very well.



dfreund

    Grade - MIFSQN

  • IFSQN Member
  • 87 posts
  • 19 thanks
17
Good

  • United States
    United States
  • Gender:Male

Posted 22 March 2018 - 12:41 PM

My concern with forced air drying is:

  • with the old style equipment blowing air all about the room spreading virus already there, particularly on the floor (even worse a wet floor)
  • and the fact that if you don't make it easy it wont happen. 20 seconds under running water is painful enough for the general population, I don't think you will get them to stick around to dry for 30-45 sec....".so lets just skip it"

Paper towels are manageable and flexible for the user, contain the moisture to a larger degree, even if they end up on the floor and you can grab the door with it on your way out if necessary(public restroom).



Mulan1010

    Grade - MIFSQN

  • IFSQN Member
  • 249 posts
  • 139 thanks
78
Excellent

  • United States
    United States

Posted 22 March 2018 - 03:44 PM

I like the idea of the air blades and was supportive when we installed them at our facility.  However, we ended up putting paper towels back in because the people had a tendency to wipe their hands on their own clothing after using them.  This was just a personal observation at our facility.  The employees continued doing this even after training and discussing; it seemed to be an unconscious action.  We still have the air blades in place but employees have the option to use one or the other or both, although I would say most use the paper towels.  Also, if your new bathrooms will have doors that employees must pull to open coming out of the restrooms then you should consider the handling of the door handle too, as dfreund pointed out.



kurtc

    Grade - Active

  • IFSQN Active
  • 7 posts
  • 3 thanks
0
Neutral

  • United States
    United States

Posted 26 March 2018 - 04:04 PM

Touchless paper towel dispensers are by far my first choice. If a person does not follow hand washing cGMP practices precisely, bacteria will grow where ever it can. If your restrooms are available to vendors, visitors and truck drivers then you have a high likelihood of outside risk as well.

Besides as others have pointed out, it is a good practice to use a paper towel to open the bathroom door when leaving. That is why we place the trash cans outside of the bathroom.



Ryan M.

    Grade - FIFSQN

  • IFSQN Fellow
  • 1,327 posts
  • 479 thanks
290
Excellent

  • United States
    United States
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Birmingham, AL
  • Interests:Reading, crosswords, passionate discussions, laughing at US politics.

Posted 27 March 2018 - 01:41 PM

Bathroom doors are poorly designed...they all need to have ability to open from inside without using your hands.  Our bathroom doors are like this in our facility, except the office areas.  Our employee entrance where everyone enters warehouse / production has hands free doors.

 

This is easy to say when you have the ability to have input in the facility design process.  I really enjoy starting up facilities.  :rock:



melsm57

    Grade - Active

  • IFSQN Active
  • 15 posts
  • 1 thanks
1
Neutral

  • Canada
    Canada

Posted 18 July 2018 - 06:06 PM

The risk is that the machines themselves do not get cleaned so they stay warm and wet and are a breeding ground..........not recommended in the industry at all

 

http://nationalpost....pread-to-humans

Agree, I avoid them like the plague. I won't use them in public washrooms either. Single use paper towel best solution. Need to have a handfree covered bin to take the waste paper towels with too





Share this

0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users