What's the Relationship between Gloves and Hand Hygiene?
It’s a common misconception that gloving removes the need for hand hygiene. Handwashing is still one of the most important aspects of your hygiene process when practicing gloving. From issues with the glove itself to mistakes made in the donning process, there are many reasons why clean hands are a necessary first step in your gloving SSOP’s.
Following every step of the handwashing process is essential, even if hands were cleaned there is still high chance of pathogen spread if the hands were not dried properly. Putting gloves on an already damp hand creates the perfect environment for pathogens to multiply. Hands also have over 400 sweat glands per square centimeter and when put inside a glove you create the perfect environments for pathogens to flourish. Basically, gloves can serve as incubators for pathogens.
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This becomes a serious problem if the glove tears or punctures. Human hands containing millions of microorganisms combined with a glove puncture can cause serious health and safety issues. Your glove will act as a bridge for glove juice, or the mixture of moisture and pathogens built up inside your glove, to transfer onto whatever task you are performing.
It’s of the utmost importance to provide effective handwashing methods to employees prior to donning gloves. Check out this comparison guide of different hand hygiene methods to help you decide what is the best fit for your business!