Foot pedal sinks are a common sight in many food processing and manufacturing facilities. They are meant to help limit touchpoints in hygiene zones by utilizing a foot pedal switch that activates the water flow of the sink faucet rather than a hand operated switch that a regular sink uses. Although this can be a helpful feature, food pedal sinks still miss the mark in a variety of ways compared to CleanTech® Automated Handwashing Stations.
Foot Pedal Sinks Are Not Completely Touchless
While limiting touchpoints is a good feature of foot pedal sinks, it can be slightly misleading. Just like with motion sensor sinks, foot pedal sinks still usually require a user to dispense soap manually with their hands in one way or another. They may eliminate the need to touch a faucet after the hand wash is completed, but unless a user performs a perfect hand wash every time, there still exists a risk of cross contamination by the soap dispenser. For example, if a person with mostly clean hands uses a foot pedal sink after a person who has come into contact with dangerous pathogens it is highly likely that the second user will contaminate their hands with dangerous pathogens by touching the same soap dispenser. That second person now must perform a perfect handwash to ensure that they do not spread those pathogens any further.
Unlike foot pedal sinks, CleanTech® Automated Handwashing Stations were designed to be 100% touchless. Users simply place their hands palms down and fingers spread into the systems and the hand wash is automatically started due to a photo eye sensor. All the user has to do is just watch the large 12 second countdown timer on the CleanTech®’s display and remove their hands for drying when finished. CleanTech® also knows exactly the right amount of hand hygiene solution to dispense during each hygiene event so no soap dispensers are required.
Learn how CleanTech® eliminates cross-contamination touchpoints
Foot Pedal Sinks Can Waste More Water
Apart from touchpoints, foot pedal sinks also offer limited water control. Just like with a regular manual hand wash sink, the flow of water is dependent on each individual user. Each user can choose to place their foot on the pedal for the entire duration of their hand wash, even when they’re not actively using the water. This can prove to be even more wasteful with foot pedal wash fountains or basins that turn on multiple faucets for just one user.
Learn about CleanTech® water savings
CleanTech® utilizes 100% of the water and hygiene solutions for the hand wash and the water flow only lasts 12 seconds. This helps facilities to conserve water and limit any unnecessary waste. Managers can also view useful compliance data and adjust the water temperature using the CleanTech® display’s touch screen dashboard to easily make each hand wash optimal for every employee. This often-necessary process can be more complicated on a regular foot pedal sink.
Learn more about how water temperature impacts hygiene compliance.
Comparatively to foot pedal sinks, CleanTech® Automated Handwashing Stations offer a more convenient, hygienic, and efficient way to wash hands. Which method sounds better to you?
Check out our hand hygiene comparison guide
