It's common to not fully understand the impact of poor hand hygiene, or the methods for good hygiene. But with the recent surfacing of COVID-19, proper hand hygiene has become a newly vital practice for every single one of us. Pathogens such as those that cause salmonella, cold and flu, and other illnesses and diseases can live on surfaces that we contact for several hours. These pathogens then transfer to our hands, and from them to other surfaces - including our food and our faces. Every time you scratch your nose or eat, you run the risk of transporting these pathogens to your airways or into your stomach, where they can take hold and develop into debilitating or sometimes life-threatening illnesses. What's more, if you carry these diseases and fail to practice good hygiene, you risk transferring these pathogens to others in the same manner.

This short, sharp course on hand hygiene outlines all the key elements of the practice, including the impacts of improper hygiene and the exact hand-washing technique for reducing hygiene risk as much as possible, either with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitiser. It also covers the ideal times to clean your hands and the key work sectors affected by proper hygiene.