Hygiene and infection prevention in facility service
How to do your job when you work for several bosses
Introduction
Hygiene is the core of work as a service assistant especially in places such as hospitals nursing homes daycare facilities and large kitchens. Microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses spread via surfaces hands air and equipment. Your task is to break these transmission routes so fewer people get sick.
Cleaning is not the same as disinfection
It is important to distinguish between two concepts. Cleaning removes visible dirt and a large part of the microorganisms using water, soap and mechanical friction. Disinfection kills or inactivates the microorganisms that remain, and is used deliberately where the risk of infection is high. Cleaning always comes before disinfection — a disinfectant works poorly on a dirty surface.
Contact points — the places many touch
Contact points are the places that are often touched by hands and forearms. This is where infection is most easily passed from person to person. NIR Rengøring divides them into five categories, and the contact points are cleaned daily — if the room is not used every day, then on all the room's cleaning days.
| Category | It is the contact point |
|---|---|
| Tables | The horizontal surfaces including 3 cm of the contact surface on the underside. |
| Handles and grip areas | Handles and the area around them, e.g. door handles and cupboard handles. |
| Bed, couch, chairs | On a bed from the bed frame upwards; on chairs and sofas the seat, backrest, armrests and edges. |
| Sanitation | Toilet seat surface, toilet seat, the part of the cistern close to the body; the rim of the washbasin. |
| Technical equipment | Where the hands touch the appliance. |
The floor is not a contact point, but it is part of the regular cleaning.
Hand hygiene
Good hand hygiene is the single most effective measure against infection spread. Wash hands with soap and water when visibly soiled, and use hand disinfection on clean, dry hands between tasks. Remember that hands must be dry before using alcohol, and that jewellery and long nails make thorough hand hygiene difficult.
| Hand hygiene in the healthcare sector (NIR) | This is how |
|---|---|
| Hand disinfection | Typically 3 ml of product. Keep the hands moist for 30 seconds. The product contains 70-85% alcohol with 1-3% glycerol. |
| Hand washing | Rinse 10 seconds → soap 15-20 seconds → rinse off 15 seconds → dry 15 seconds (approx. 60 seconds in total). |
Watches, rings and jewellery on the wrist are a reservoir for microorganisms. That is why you take them off before you work.
Protective equipment
Personal protective equipment protects both you and those you work for. Gloves are used when in contact with body fluids and heavily contaminated surfaces, but they do not replace hand hygiene — you must wash or disinfect your hands both before putting on gloves and after taking them off. Use an apron or disposable overall where there is risk of splashing.