Blog Post
Hand Sanitizing Stations: The Next Feature for Your Grocery Store
June 1, 2020
The world now understands the importance of clean hands better than ever before. The value of careful handwashing and the use of sanitizer will not end when science conquers COVID-19. New diseases appear often, and flu season returns every year. Hand sanitizing stations can help store owners to keep their employees and customers safer than ever.

Choose a Location

Sanitizing the hands can help to prevent the spread of germs to people and the things they touch. Using a hand sanitizing station will not replace the need for handwashing. The stations also should not replace the efforts to sanitize surfaces like keypads at checkout and the handles of shopping carts and baskets.

A sanitizing station does the most good when it is where other hand cleaning options do not exist. Many stores offer public bathrooms, but they may be away from the entrance. A station near the front doors might help to reduce the spread of germs to carts and to products that people often handle, like produce.

Storage areas are another helpful location. The addition enables employees to keep their hands cleaner as they unload trucks and bring items out to the sales floor. The regular use of the stations as employees work could help to reduce the risk of illness to the employee and the shoppers.

Instruct the Employees

A study completed before COVID-19 appeared found that hand sanitizers could improve workplace health. The study found that workers who used the sanitizer at least five times a day were about two-thirds less likely to experience illness than coworkers who only washed their hands.

However, misuse and misconceptions about hand sanitizers can reduce the effectiveness of the stations. Deep cleaning processes should take place regularly at each station to prevent the area from becoming a source of contamination. Hand sanitizing will not remove all germs and does not stay effective forever after use.

Sanitizers may not work as well on visibly greasy or dirty hands. Sanitizers offer protection, but they are not a shield against everything. Employees should continue to keep their hands away from their faces and wash their hands as often as possible.

Young children should not use a sanitizing station alone because the product could cause alcohol poisoning if swallowed. Post warnings on the stations or have staff members supervise the customer area to prevent any misuse. Only sanitizers that contain at least 60% alcohol kill germs, so keep the stations stocked with effective sanitizers.

Encourage the Customers

Try to make the sanitizing station as appealing as possible to customers. Keep the area accessible but out of the flow of traffic. Make certain the space around the station remains tidy. Offer special deals and coupons to users of the station to encourage more usage.

Germ control can improve when more customers take advantage of hand sanitizing. A 2017 study of grocery stores revealed bacteria on almost every surface, with shopping carts having the highest number. The handles on the coolers tested in the study had over 1,000 times more bacteria than the average cell phone.

Much of the bacteria discovered in the study were harmful bacteria. One of the most common types of bacteria found on the doors of coolers was antibiotic-resistant. Clean and sanitized hands could reduce the problem, and with the addition of more surface cleaning throughout the store, could reduce the potential for virus spread.

Customers want to shop where they feel safe. Hand sanitizing stations show the importance the management places on health and safety. At Gotta Go Site Service Rentals, we can help any business owner with a short-term or long-term placement of sanitizing stations at their business. Contact us to learn more about our rates and what we offer. 
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