Hand disinfectant use helps productivity

GREIFSWALD, Germany, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- Businesses that supply alcohol-based hand disinfectants and urge employees to use them increase productivity by helping reduce illness, German researchers say.

Nils-Olaf Hubner of the Institute of Hygiene and Environmental Medicine and a team from Germany said the study involved 129 participants divided into one group that was supplied with hand disinfectant and instructed to use it at least five times a day, while the other group was told to maintain normal hand washing behavior.

The study, published in the journal BMC Infectious Diseases, found hand disinfectant use can reduce on-the-job-productivity-losses, increase workplace health levels and improve overall productivity.

"Our study found that hand disinfection reduced the number of episodes of illness for the majority of the investigated symptoms," Hubner said in a statement. "Hand disinfection can easily be introduced and maintained as part of the daily hand hygiene, acting as an interesting and cost-efficient method of improving workforce health and effectiveness."