Because workers are frequently required to work under pressure and meet strict production deadlines, they are often tempted to cut corners. While such shortcuts may have little effect in many cases, they can have serious consequences in certain walks of life, such as the food industry. For workers in hotel kitchens, dairies, or food-processing plants, the use of automated hygiene systems such as walk-through boot washers can be a great way to eliminate the tendency to cut corners – and the associated risks.

In addition, the effectiveness of handwashing can be negated when the equipment used must be operated manually. For example, washroom taps are exposed to dirty hands when turning them and once they have been cleaned, there is a risk that they could become recontaminated when turning the taps off again. The simple solution is to introduce a foot-operated system that ensures clean hands remain clean. These automated hygiene systems can be floor-mounted and available as either single or 4-user units with built-in soap dispensers, while there is also a wall-mounted 2-user model which is infrared-activated.

All of these systems are available in South Africa from Pesctaech, who also offers the SaniCompact – an integrated automated hygiene control system that combines facilities for shoe and hand sanitising and drying. The turnstile gate will only permit workers who have washed, rinsed, and sanitised both hands to pass and the system can handle one person every nine seconds.