The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared October 15th as Global Handwashing Day.

Event handwashing is often handicapped by the lack of running water. Summer fairs and church events are familar examples. Health departments around the country are contacted regularly by event planners looking to conform to local codes.

Most local codes flow from the FDA's Model Food Code where water, any amount of water, trumps the alternatives. This has evolved to what we now call The Trickler Method where a small amout of water is trickled out of a vessel to wet hands, wash and rinse. It is hard to capture the trickler method in actual use as it rarely is.

Below are four examples of approved "handsinks" for The Trickler Method, photographed in late July 2008 in Illinois.

Cancer patients are very susceptible to infection, including foodborne illness. Their chemo treatments are very effective in killing cells, the good along with the bad. Their oncologist leads their fight with a delicate balance of chemical brew, blended on a case-by-case basis. The one thing all oncologists agree for all patients is that handwashing and continued hand hygiene are critical in beating the disease. Cancer patients, and those in daily contact with them, must be better than average hand washers.

Effectiveness data for a new breed of alcohol hand sanitizer was presented earlier this month to a group of foodservice and hospitality professionals in Europe. This information is not yet available in the USA but the patent-pending formulation appears to be 3 times more effective on norovirus compared to basic alcohol versions.

Some dining facilities and many bars turn the lights down to create a mood of relaxation and take the edge off the sharp realities of life away-from-home. In all restaurants, lucky for us diners, the hand-prints of both previous customers and staff remain invisible. Out-of-sight is of little consolation to those charged with protecting customers and staff from norovirus and hep A - two of the most difficult and prolific foodborne illnesses.

Handwashing For Life's Personal Touch is a combined risk assessment and employee training tool. It is a simple chart which helps prioritize those touches that should trigger a handwash. The vertical axis rises from the clean to the heavily contaminated surface while the horizontal axis increases in transfer probability from left to right. In the attached template four high priority touches have been included to get started.

The trail of invisible hand-prints supports touch-free and demands higher surface cleanliness standards.

Cleanliness standards are a critical element considered in designing and selecting equipment for both kitchen and customer space. However, these standards are dominated by noble words rather than science-based facts. Easy to clean is one common standard and the second is Clean to sight and touch. These verbal descriptors seemingly served us well in a world of stainless steel, smooth, easy-to-clean designs and easier to control bacteria.

The Handwashing For Life® Olympics staged in Washington DC

Held in conjunction with the 10th annual Food Safety & Security Summit, this year's venue was visited by two former title holders, both multiple winners. From the left are Michele Samarya-Timm from the Franklin New Jersey Health Department and Kristen Machicek from Pappas Restaurants, better known to some as Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen and Pappasito’s Cantina. They are joined by Handwashing For Life's Chef/Trainer Dion Lerman.

This new poster is a reminder of just why some food workers and caregivers don't wash their hands. It is intended for managers as well as supervisors and staff as a reminder of several realities. While it is generally overstated, it deals with many real issues that remain understated and unresolved.

In a campaign to overcome underwashing you need a series of tools. We recommend this one as a companion to our Pledge of Professionalism. Consider having anyone breaking your handwashing code of compliance, sign this Creed of the Unworthy, Unwashed Unprofessional. A signature or two can give this poster new meaning.

Attacking the Global Enemies: MRSA, Norovirus, Hep A, E-Coli, Shigella ...

Announced by the Clean Hands Coalition, the week of September 21st-27th is this year's official International Clean Hands Week.

Handwashing remains the most important intervention in saving lives around the world. This fact makes that week one of Handwashing For Life's most important dates on the annual calendar. It is a time to bring the world together, to raise the awareness of the importance of handwashing and to get started in changing hand hygiene behaviors.

Restaurants Tackle Foodborne Illness

Shamrock Foods and Handwashing For Life teamed up and took the field to find Phoenix's finest professional handwashers. The venue was spectacular, state-of-the-art Cardinal Stadium, ready for the arrival of the Patriots and Giants. Crowds lined up at the handsink, the super bowl of the day, a high-tech entry from the Eagle Group - HFL5000.

America's top public health official addresses concerns ...

Three Real Threats

By Dr. Julie Gerberding

Today's headlines are packed with threats we never thought much about in earlier days -- dangers involving food, infections and a possible influenza pandemic. How do we keep our concerns in check and at the same time take sensible steps to protect ourselves and our families?

Norovirus Outbreak Report, D.C. Elementary School --- 2007

What I like about this report is that we gain outbreak data, a better understanding of contributing factors and ... no one died.

Managing risk is largely based on information. For managing the risks of poor hand hygiene, the information advantage is just beginning.

Good Handwashing is Management 101 is an article first published in the December 2007/January 2008 edition of Food Safety Magazine which conatains a 10 Point History of Poor Handwashing and as well as a path for an enduring solution.

The attached article is a look at a Best Practice solution for implementing a successful hand hygiene program. This article originally appeared in Food Safety Magazine, October/November 2005 and was written by Jim Mann.