Hand wash station High Risk
Hello Everybody, hope all well.
We are food processor based in EU and designing new staff facilities.
Engineers have suggested new layout for hand wash station.
Food handler arrives at turnstile.
Turnstile will not let them through unless they place their hands into slot and receive soap.
They then go through turnstile and wash hands at sink.
Is this acceptable for food safety, BRC and IFS Food standard?
I don’t particularly like this procedure as you should wet your hands first, then take soap to create lather.
You don’t put shampoo into dry hair!
This turnstile method, once you add water it doesn’t really create lather, majority of soap goes down drain. Am I wrong?
They sent a YouTube clip of it in operation in factory, so its obviously is acceptable procedure and new design for Hand wash stations going forward, I presume.
Am I too picky/old fashioned and should just allow this new procedure they are suggesting? After all, they are experts in factory design.
Thank you in advance for your suggestions and advise.
As with everything, I would say that you should conduct a risk assessment. If you can data on the efficacy of the handwash system (hand swabs etc) then this should help you reach a conclusion - obviously make sure it comes from someone with the system installed and not the sales person from the company trying to flog the system.
Having said that, I am a bit old fashioned and don't like the idea of dispensing soap prior to wetting hands because, as you say, most of the soap will go down the drain when water is applied.
Our parent company is in Japan. They have a something similar, where a door won't open unless a certain hand washing procedure is followed. Seems to work quite well.
I'd have to go back and find the video to refresh my memory on how exactly it works.
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Food handler arrives at turnstile.
Turnstile will not let them through unless they place their hands into slot and receive soap.
They then go through turnstile and wash hands at sink.
...
It is just replacing one assumption with another. If your personnel aren't invested in safety enough to acquire some soap for themselves then how can you believe they won't just stick their hand in the sensor and let it blow soap on the floor or whatever instead of their hand just to get through the turnstile?
It seems like that investment would be better used for training related to food safety and the importance of handwashing.
I agree with paulwill10124, if validation results show that it works then why not go with it.
Thanks