One of the most important activities we can use to avoid contracting illnesses and spreading germs to others, is hand washing. Disease prevention can be greatly improved, and the spread of diseases can be severely curtailed by the simple act of washing the hands with soap and clean water.

Many parts of the world still do not have easy access to clean running water, but soap and available water can still be effective. In situations where soap and water are not readily unavailable, sanitizers that contain at least 60% alcohol can be used to clean the hands.

Proper hand washing becomes critical before, during, and after the preparation of food. To prevent the spread of diseases and improve personal hygiene the hands should be washed thoroughly at the following times. Before all meals. The hands contain a lot of bacteria which can be easily transferred to the digestive system. Germs can be transferred from diseases persons, so it is important to wash your hands before and after caring for the sick.

Your hands should be washed after you cough, sneeze or blow your nose. Prior to and after treating a cut or wound, hand washing will remove present bacteria. Hands should be washed after the toilet is used. Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly after touching garbage, an animal, or animal waste.

There is a procedure required for proper hand washing.

1. The hands should be first wet with clean running water before applying soap.
2. The hands must be rubbed together to create a lather and thoroughly scrubbed. Scrubbing must include between the fingers and the backs of the hands, the palms, and under the fingernails.
3. Rub your hands together for at least 30 seconds, before rising well with more running water.
4. After rinsing you should dry your hands with a clean towel or forced air.

Washing hands, especially in the corporate setting, is an easy inexpensive, and extremely cost-effective way to prevent the spread of germs and maintain healthy employees. It is interesting to note that washing hands can improve productivity in many businesses, because employees take far fewer sick days. Bacteria and germs can quickly spread where people gather frequently, as in a work setting, but if the community is healthier it can easily translate to healthier workers.

In view of the fact that we have entered deeply into the industrial age, and faster travel makes it easier to cover greater distances in shorter periods, it is now highly possible for germ-carrying bacteria, can be transferred to different countries in hours.

Many corporations are introducing hand cleaning stations as the benefits of cleaner hands are realized. It does not take long to realize how easily bacteria can be passed along through the contact of currency that may have touched the hands of thousands, or simply the contact of unclean surfaces in both public and private places.

There appears to still be a lot of room for improvements, and a change of behaviours appears to be necessary as recent studies indicate that only 30 % of the males and 65 % of the females actually wash their hands after using public restrooms.