children).Ĭritical situations in healthcare activity include: After handling soiled tissues (your own or others’, e.g.After wiping or blowing the nose or sneezing into the hands (respiratory hygiene).After handling pets and domestic animals.rubbish bins, cleaning cloths, food-contaminated surfaces). After contact with contaminated surfaces (e.g.Before eating food or feeding children.Before preparing and handling cooked/ready-to-eat food.Immediately after touching raw food when preparing meals (e.g.After changing a baby’s diaper (nappy) and disposing of the faeces.After using the toilet (or disposing of human or animal faeces).To know when to wash your hands at home and at work, you must first identify critical situations that is, situations, activities or incidents that indicate the possibility that pathogenic microorganisms are present on hands, fingers and nail surfaces.Ĭritical situations in everyday activity include: (Photos: Abera Kumie, Basiro Davey, USAID/HIP,WaterAid in Ethiopia)Īs well as routine personal hygiene that applies to everyone, your daily work will include many situations when you may ask yourself when you need to wash your hands. Various options for handwashing are indicated in Figure 3.5.įigure 3.5 Handwashing (cleaning). The soap or ash ‘lifts’ the dirt, and the water then washes off the visible dirt and the invisible germs. To get clean hands, you must POUR the water over your hands (no dipping in a bowl!). These serve the same purpose as the soap, to help ‘scrub’ what is stuck on your hands, so the running water can brush it off. If you don’t have soap, you can use alternatives. Clean sand with water can be used for handwashing to help to rub off dirt.Local seeds such as indod (Lemma’s plant), which are known to be good cleaning agents, can also be used for regular handwashing.The slight irritation you feel when you wash your hands with ash shows the cleansing power of ash. Wood ash will also rub off any dirt and smells.

Dry your hands in the air to avoid recontamination on a dirty towel – do not touch anything until your hands are dry.Rinse your hands well with clean running water (pour from a jug or tap).It is the soap combined with the scrubbing action that helps dislodge and remove germs. Continue for 15–30 seconds or about the length of a little tune (for example, the ‘Happy Birthday’ song).Next rub your hands together vigorously and scrub all surfaces up to your wrists.First wet your hands with clean water and lather with a bar of soap.

En eye for tidiness