Throughout our lives, many of us do at some point face barriers when washing our hands in public restrooms. These invisible hand hygiene barriers can affect people in multiple ways, but there are multiple solutions. The problem is, it’s only the people who face the barriers that are aware of them.
Hand hygiene barriers
Age-related barriers
Our personal capabilities change with age, affecting mobility, reach and strength. In fact, around 1 in 5 adults experience difficulties using soap or hand towel dispensers due to an injury, health condition, physical capability or as a parent with a child.*
Auditory sensitivity
Some people are more sensitive to loud noises than others, especially the neurodivergent or autistic, as well as young children. 1 in 7 American adults cited loud noises as a source of difficulty personally or when assisting a child using public restrooms.*
Hygiene concerns
Many people avoid visiting public toilets and washing their hands due to poor hygiene levels. And more than 1 in 3 Americans cite lack of cleanliness as a barrier to using workplace or public restrooms.*
Skin sensitivities
Some soaps contain ingredients that can cause skin irritation. In the US 31.6 m people suffer from eczema** and may find that some hand soaps irritate their skin.
Take action to make hand hygiene more inclusive
Click on the hot spots to discover some simple, practical steps you can take to make hand hygiene in your restroom more inclusive.
Simple, practical actions
Simple, practical actions to help make hand hygiene more inclusive in your restroom.
"We applaud Tork for leading the charge on this important initiative and continuing to push for attention and improvement of the accessibility of hand washing in public and workplace restrooms."
Ron Clemmer, Secretariat Director, Global Handwashing Partnership
References
* Survey among nationally representative group, barriers faced personally or in assisting others, 2024
© 2024 Essity Hygiene and Health AB