Jump to content

  • Quick Navigation
Photo

Considering moving from Hand Dryers to Paper Towels

Share this

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

bbertram

    Grade - Active

  • IFSQN Active
  • 4 posts
  • 0 thanks
0
Neutral

  • United States
    United States

Posted 25 October 2018 - 12:07 PM

Our plant has recently considered removing all hand air dyers after results from an external audit. We have done a risk assessment and cost analysis of removing all hand air dryers and replacing them with paper towel dispensers or placing the hand dryers with new filters that would be more sanitary.

 

Has anyone been through a similar situation and can give their advice? What was your outcome?

 

Is there anything that the SQF Code speaks to about hand dryers vs. paper towel? Is having a risk assessment required to back up your reasoning for having one method or another?



Scampi

    Fellow

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

  • Canada
    Canada
  • Gender:Not Telling

Posted 25 October 2018 - 01:03 PM


Please stop referring to me as Sir/sirs


Thanked by 2 Members:
Gerard H. , bbertram

Gerard H.

    Grade - SIFSQN

  • IFSQN Senior
  • 411 posts
  • 131 thanks
44
Excellent

  • France
    France
  • Gender:Male

Posted 29 October 2018 - 10:57 AM

Dear B. Bertram,

 

From what I see and experience in different companies, I'm in favor of paper towels. The links given by Scampi are very useful to understate that.

 

Kind regards,

 

Gerard Heerkens


Edited by Gerard H., 29 October 2018 - 10:57 AM.


Lesley.Roberts

    Grade - MIFSQN

  • IFSQN Member
  • 165 posts
  • 77 thanks
34
Excellent

  • United Kingdom
    United Kingdom
  • Gender:Female
  • Location:Manchester

Posted 29 October 2018 - 10:25 PM

The only issue worth noting is that usually paper towels are not recyclable and therefore have to be sent to landfill.   If you have environmental targets to meet or customers who are expecting you to improve your environmental KPIs year on year this might prevent a challenge.



moskito

    Grade - SIFSQN

  • IFSQN Senior
  • 412 posts
  • 85 thanks
21
Excellent

  • Germany
    Germany
  • Gender:Male

Posted 31 October 2018 - 03:24 PM

Dear bbertram

 

I agree to prefer paper towels in the designated hygiene area. I all other areas we are using hand dryer (sucking not blowing). Over time we have checked several times whether that "sucking" equipment can be introduced in hygiene area. Until now we have not given a release (reason: micro) even there is some pressure for change.

 

Rgds

moskito



Scampi

    Fellow

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

  • Canada
    Canada
  • Gender:Not Telling

Posted 31 October 2018 - 04:03 PM

The only issue worth noting is that usually paper towels are not recyclable and therefore have to be sent to landfill.   If you have environmental targets to meet or customers who are expecting you to improve your environmental KPIs year on year this might prevent a challenge.

Hopefully this is starting to change

 

Around my locale, more and more places are putting blue bins in washrooms for the express purpose of recycling the paper towels


Please stop referring to me as Sir/sirs


Thanked by 1 Member:
Lesley.Roberts

Lesley.Roberts

    Grade - MIFSQN

  • IFSQN Member
  • 165 posts
  • 77 thanks
34
Excellent

  • United Kingdom
    United Kingdom
  • Gender:Female
  • Location:Manchester

Posted 31 October 2018 - 04:12 PM

Scampi - this is very useful information.

 

I was always told that the towels widely used in food factories cannot be recycled as they are already made from recycled paper & the fibres are very short in length.

 

However I believe there are now moves to compost them - which would be a good idea as large food factories, especially high care establishments, produce a lot of waste due to their high usage & this would certainly be a bonus for the environment!!



mgourley

    Grade - FIFSQN

  • IFSQN Fellow
  • 1,403 posts
  • 997 thanks
274
Excellent

  • United States
    United States
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Plant City, FL
  • Interests:Cooking, golf, firearms, food safety and sanitation.

Posted 31 October 2018 - 08:47 PM

If you want to keep dryers in non production areas, I would do that. For production areas, paper towels.
It all depends, of course on the products you produce and the risk inherent.

While I might not be as sensitive to the "environment" as some others, I'm more sensitive to not killing people or making them sick by the products we produce :)

 

Marshall





Share this


Also tagged with one or more of these keywords: towels, paper towels, dryers, hand dryers, assessment, pathogens

0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users