UMBC HAS A SERIOUS LACK OF INFECTION CONTROL
Please upgrade facilities to reflect the school.
posted almost 12 years ago
It has been bothering me for some time now and it is time I spoke up. Some facilities in UMBC buildings are seriously lackluster in terms of infection control. What is absurd is that some of these buildings are the newer buildings.
Case in point.
The PUP and ITE buildings seem to be among the newer buildings on campus and yet in the bathrooms, they still have the manual paper towel dispensers. This means that you have to manually use your hands to push the lever. This is absolutely troubling and to be honest very disgusting. You take one simple look at those things and the dried streaks of God knows what and you decide to dry your hands on your pants.
Secondly, the manual soap dispensers are so last century and yet they are used all over the school. This not only contributes to the spread of germs, it is also not economical because people end up using way more soap than is necessary. The automatic soap dispensers first and foremost do not require any tactility, but also use a pre-measured amount of soap such that even if people use too much, it still saves on the amount of soap used overall.
Finally, some facilities still have the metered faucets. (The ones that only release water when turned). You basically have to turn the faucet on every stream of water. Since you have to use one hand to turn the faucet and the other hand to collect the water, you never have enough water to feel like you have washed enough. Even the CDC recommends using as much water to rinse off as possible.
In an era where everything seems to be heading to touch free, and the influenza viruses are more virulent than ever before, UMBC seems to be still resistant to change, putting the entire community at risk.
Is it really that expensive to replace these things?
Some points to consider for proper hand washing
1. Always consider EVERYTHING contaminated. The sink, the faucets, the soap dispensers, the door handles. Everything.
2. Avoid touching the sink.
3. Use a paper towel to turn on the faucet.
4. Use hot water if available.
5. Work soap into lather vigorously/thoroughly before rinsing.
6. Rinse with as much water as possible. Running water helps to remove dirt.
7. Dry hands with a completely dry paper towel.
8. Use a paper towel to turn off the running water.
9. Soap dispensers should be regularly scrubbed with disinfectant to keep them from becoming breeding habitats for germs.
10. While hand sanitizer is good for killing bacteria, it is not a replacement for proper hand washing. You can use hand sanitizer if not near a bathroom but wash your hands at the next opportunity you get to do so.
