In today’s world of the H1N1 flu pandemic and E. coli bacteria outbreaks, hand-washing and hand sanitizing have become critical components of disease prevention — especially in public places. For portable restroom operators servicing construction sites, agricultural operations or special events, this means portable sinks and hand sanitizers will become even more valuable rental items this year.
But how do you sell hand hygiene to customers? Here are some pointers:
Sell the benefits of clean hands.
Statistics that illustrate the importance of good hand hygiene are everywhere. Make use of the numbers when you talk to your customers. The facts are staggering, as laid out by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food & Drug Administration.
• According to the CDC, 80 percent of infections are spread by the hands. Hand washing reduces both infection and the spread of harmful pathogens.
• Some viruses (like H1N1) can survive on surfaces for up to 48 hours. It’s most important to wash your hands after using the restroom, before eating, after handling pets, and after coughing or sneezing.
• A recent study by the FDA reveals that proper hand washing can stop up to half of all food-borne illnesses, including E. coli and salmonella.
• A study of children showed that those who washed their hands at least four times a day experienced 24 percent fewer sick days from colds and flu viruses. This is a good statistic to mention to contractors who want to eliminate sick days among crews.
Know what product works best in every situation.
Before you get into renting portable hand-sanitizing equipment, realize that different equipment options solve different types of problems. There are sinks and sanitizers, alcohol-based gels, foams, and wipes, as well as alcohol-free versions of those same products. Depending on the equipment you offer, you will undoubtedly be asked, “Which works best: soap and water or hand sanitizer?” Truly, it depends on your customer’s situation.
For rentals to construction or agricultural jobsites or events with food preparation or live animals, sinks are the more hygienic option. A study by the University of Florida found that hand washing with soap and water is most reliable because soap helps reduce surface tension on the hands, making it easier to wash away dirt and germs.
On the other hand, if you’re servicing an event where the end user simply needs to wipe cotton candy from the hands, a hand-sanitizing station with wipes or foam would make sense. Whether an alcohol-based or alcohol-free solution, sanitizers disinfect by stripping the outer layer of oil off of the skin, destroying any microorganisms living on it. Though they do not clean as deeply as soap and water, sanitizers are very effective at killing germs in most situations.
Understand effective placements.
Every delivery of portable restrooms leaving your yard should be accompanied by an appropriate number of portable sinks. What is the “appropriate” number? It’s a good question, and the answer depends on where you look. Special event guidelines from cities across the country offer different recommendations. In Jacksonville, Fla., the ratio is one sink for every five restrooms; in Berkeley, Calif., it’s one to four, and in Greenville, S.C., it’s one to 10.
While it’s important to learn the standards for your area, a good “rule-of-thumb” is found in the disaster relief guidelines from the American Red Cross. They recommend a sink for every two restrooms — a number consistent with the expected number of uses from a portable sink (about 500) and a portable restroom unit (200) before servicing.
A FINAL WORD
When done right, adding hand-sanitizing solutions to your portable sanitation mix is a benefit to your customers and your business. Not only does good hand hygiene protect the health of your community, it also meets basic customer needs.
