Hand Dryers? Bradley AV30 Soap, Sink and Dryer all in one

Hello to all! Looking for some advice, as I am outnumbered over here at the company I am currently employed with...

I work in a Fruit packing facility and Upper Management is wanting to install about 14 Bradley AV30 Soap, Sink and Dryer units right outside the main entrance into the grading/packing location.

The install of additional sinks is what I have proposed as to hand washing is limited to restrooms only.

I hate to say but I'm slightly opposed to air hand dryers..but upper management finds these to be more appealing and have informed me that they use less time other than the old fashioned paper towel use. I suggested that a floor supervisor participate in the demonstration and without any influence from myself, she stated that "the system is longer and does not complete the job (in comparison to the paper towels)."

I questioned the sales rep as to other food handling facilities having this sort of unit, his response was "none".

This facility is SQF level 3 certified and under Module 10.3.2 Hand Washing states (10.3.2.2) Hand wash basins shall be constructed of stainless steel or similar non-corrosive material and as a minimum supplied with:

(key) iii. Paper towels in a hands free cleanable dispenser.

Would the install of these units violate Module 10.3.2?

Attached is a photo of the unit they WILL BE purchasing.

Jenn

So you would like to add these in a entry to production or somthing similar?  This looks like a mechial and cleaning nightmare (well maybe not quite that bad).  I will give you the look nice but simple photo eye faucets, soap and towel on a SS sink looks ok too after all it's a manufacture location not a hilton.  In both a previous milk botting and a chesse plant we swapped out dryers for towels because micro swabs of the area showed that dryers just blew stuff all over.  I am currently in a spray drying facility and use towels, I agree that they are much better plus if there is ever a spill or bloody nose there is absorbant close by and a recepticle for the waste.

Just my 2 cents

G

Listeria spreaders. Stick with paper towels. Adding a heat source and air just does not mix in places you are trying to minimize risk. Just my opinion.

Agree, I never have been a lover of hot air hand dryers - mainly due to the often pathetic air streams produced which are scarcely better than breathing on your hands!  I guess the newer powerful models are ok if used properly (but have you ever observed them being so used??!!) - but in public areas like airport and pub loos, etc, not in food rooms in my view.

Jennifer,

Take a close look at the SQF standards, they really don't want air hand dryers, you can install them however you must complete an extensive risk analysis to show they are acceptable. There is a reason why they want paper towels and it has to do with a number of things including friction.

There is also a testing issue for air hand dryers as well.

I have seen many Auditors miss this point during an SQF audit where the company insisted on leaving in place or installing air hand dyers, however that doesn't mean your Auditor will miss it.

Hi Jennifer,

                    I certainly agree with the previous posts - paper towels are so much better than air dryers for hand drying. We use a Dyson air blade hand dryer and although it is effective in drying hands in a short time it leaves a trail of microorganisms in the vicinity of the unit. Paper towels are also effective in drying hands after washing and serves the additional purpose of removing resident organisms from the hands

I suggest you share these posts with your management team. 

We also had air dryers in some of our restrooms, not production areas just restrooms, and we had them removed.  We did some APC Samples to see how the units faired and the results were not good.  We did swabs on the area around the unit, collected the water that pools at the bottom of unit (the highest counts) and tested the air around the unit.  Please note the area and unit were cleaned three times a day and the air filters were changed per manufacturer's recommendation.  We also had someone observe the employees periodically and 82.34% of the time the employees wiped his/her hands on their clothing after using dryer even though they received training not to do so. - If the units are installed, I believe SQF does require for you to at least have documentation on filter changes and documentation on monitoring use to ensure employees are not wiping hands on clothing.