Good Hygiene Can Keep You Healthy Most of us learned the basics of good personal hygiene from our mothers when we were children. She started us on good hygiene with the simple rule of washing our hands before we ate. As we have grown older, some of us may have drifted away from our mother's wise advise. In today's chemical-laden workplaces, being even more conscientious about hygiene is the smart thing to do. Even though washing our hands is a simple and logical task, it's still commonly overlooked. What is on your hands gets ingested. How many times have you seen fellow workers...

Cross-Contamination Cross-contamination occurs when workers spread contaminants around the worksite and into their homes by soiled clothing, shoes, and skin contact. Contaminants can be transferred to the items workers touch, sit on or walk on. Using good personal hygiene at work by hand washing, showering, and changing dirty clothing and shoes can help prevent cross contamination. Workers that handle chemicals and contaminants in the workplace are aware that the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, safety glasses, respirators, coveralls, and boots, can reduce or eliminate their exposures. PPE can act as a barrier against the contaminants and protect the...

Wash Your Hands - Hand Washing We assume everyone knows how to wash their hands, but many workers don't realize how important hand washing and skin care can be in the prevention of disease.  Proper skin care and hand protection help keep workers productive and on the job. The best defense against the spread of illness or skin ailments is to prevent them where possible by washing them often, using barrier creams and wearing gloves designed to protect skin from contact with a variety of harmful agents and irritants.  If gloves are worn, clean or replace them frequently to make sure they...