Uncompromised Handwashing Without Water
Operators now have an arsenal of tools to meet the endless situations requiring staff handwashing. Imagine facing extreme environments where uncompromised handwashing is essential, but access to water is limited. The US military encountered this very challenge in the deserts of Iraq, and their solution, SaniTwice®, was hailed as “equivalent or superior to handwashing” in the Journal of Food Protection.
Over a decade ago, the Clark County School District, one of the largest in the USA, embraced SaniTwice during food service water outages and has continued to use it since. Emory University’s study in farm fields also confirmed the efficacy of SaniTwice for produce handlers, even on soiled hands. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26555526/
Emory University’s study confirmed the efficacy of SaniTwice for produce handlers, even on soiled hands.
Now, there’s SaniOnce, a handwashing protocol that emphasizes friction in pathogen removal and killing, without the need for a second application of Alcohol-Based Hand Sanitizer (ABHS). Its effectiveness is clearly illustrated in this graph.
Here is the process for you to follow in situations without running water. Apply an excess of hand sanitizer, scrubbing hands as follows:
- Palm-to-palm
- Front-to-back
- Claw-to-paw
- The interlock
- Wrists
- Thumbs
- Wipe and dry hands vigorously with a paper towel.
The SaniOnce® Core Handwash protocol enables you to prepare and serve food safely when running water is not available.
If running water is available, use the Handwashing For Life Core Handwash protocol, substituting soap for sanitizer and using running water to remove the suspended contaminants from the hands. Paper towel dry.
Foundational research:
