by Research to help Operators determine their Noro-E.coli-hep A risk factor.
This definition of a Clean Hand is an articulation in search of the science:
A Clean Hand in the foodservice and food processing industries is one that is unlikely to transfer pathogens from the hand to food, surfaces or directly to people.
Handwashing For Life® is actively facilitating a study to add the numbers, providing operators with a numeric foundation on which to build their own protocol, aligned with the ownership’s toleration of risk.
The title of this study, Risk-based Handwashing: Operator Choice reflects the importance of Norovirus when operators choose their protocols to assure their standards for a clean hand. Infectious dose for Norovirus is very low, thus requiring higher handwashing norms – both where running water is available and where it is not.
“Should we wash/scrub our hands for 5, 15, 20 seconds or some time in between?”
“What are our choices in regimens to achieve our standard where running water is not available?”
“How does a well-formulated alcohol-based hand rub compare to handwashing in pathogen elimination?”
Answering these three questions, via five data-gathering points, is the quintessence of this research.
E.coli (bacteria) is another major source of outbreaks in foodservice because of hand-to-food contaminations after restroom use. The same is true for the hep A virus.
The benefit in choosing the high-bar standard of Norovirus for this study is the windfall of E.coli and hep A protection – a lagniappe of two high-risk pathogens.
Please contact jmann@handwashingforlife.org to join the list of leaders providing the funding for this research. The $54,000 price tag has been split into 12 more digestible portions of $4,500.
To see the early investing Stakeholder list:
