Creating Cleaner Work Spaces
In these unprecedented times, clean and hygienic work spaces are more important than ever to support employee well-being. Kimberly-Clark Professional is here to help. Use this guide to equip your facilities with new hygiene standards, both in the office area and on the production floor.
Scroll for moreWhile your facilities enact new measures to protect valued employees and customers, Kimberly-Clark Professional can help you provide a more hygienic environment. In our own manufacturing mills, we’ve implemented new best practices to benefit staff and customers. As an industry innovator and leader in hygiene products for nearly 150 years, we’ve got the tools, solutions and guidance to help meet your needs.
Manufacturing and processing plants are experiencing major changes in day-to-day protocols, all due to the need to help limit the spread of germs. And as plants adjust for people to share spaces, equipment and amenities, workplace hygiene takes greater priority than ever before.
It has become increasingly vital for facilities to plan and prepare in the following areas:
Whether reopening your facility or considering enhanced protocols, this checklist can help ensure you’ve considered everything.
View the Checklist
Here’s a quick guide to areas where hand soaps, sanitizers and disinfectants should be put to work.
View the Hot Spots
Think you’re informed about workplace germs? Here are some stats that may surprise you.
In the span of 24 hours, the average adult touches 7,200 surfaces1 and touches their face 552 times.2
Nearly 95%3 of adults do not wash long enough to thoroughly clean the germs from their hands.
The average desk has 400x more bacteria than a toilet seat.4
Water fountains have 19x as much bacteria as a toilet seat.5
It’s important to understand what you’re up against every day, so you can help protect the people in your facility. Get prepared with a solid workplace hygiene strategy.
Take Action
In any facility, there are many places where hands can pick up and leave behind germs. From door handles to work surfaces, from breakroom counters to sink fixtures, and from vending machines to time clocks. It’s vital to provide ample hand soap, water and disposable paper towels, as well as alcohol-based sanitizers (containing at least 60% alcohol) throughout the workplace. Post visual reminders that hands should be washed for at least 20 seconds frequently during each day, especially at these times:
Hygiene Hint
Sneeze or cough into a tissue, then dispose of the tissue in the trash to help limit the spread of germs.6
While soap and water are easily made available in facility restrooms and at sinks, hand sanitizer should be placed in other high-traffic areas like entryways, hallways, breakrooms and production areas.
Take Action
To do more than just scratch the surface of workplace hygiene, it’s vital to frequently clean and disinfect certain areas. Not only do production lines require attention, but also breakrooms, work stations and high-touch items like elevator buttons and stair rails. Disinfecting these surfaces several times during the workday, with EPA-approved products, helps improve workplace hygiene.
Kimberly-Clark Professional offers disposable cleaning cloths, or wipers, as a more hygienic alternative to reusable towels or rags. We also offer pre-saturated sanitizing wipes for hard, non-porous surfaces, and a closed-bucket wiping system for critical tasks.
Hygiene Hint
Cotton towels were shown to reduce disinfectant strength by up to 85%.7
Take Action
Physical Distancing: The CDC gives the following advice on physical distancing in manufacturing plants: “Modify the alignment of workstations, including along production or assembly lines, if feasible, so that workers are at least 6 feet apart in all directions (e.g., side-to-side and when facing one another), when possible. Ideally, modify the alignment of workstations so that workers do not face one another. Consider using markings and signs to remind workers to maintain their location at their station away from each other and practice social distancing on breaks.
Use physical barriers, such as strip curtains, plexiglass or similar materials, or other impermeable dividers or partitions to separate manufacturing workers from each other, if feasible.”8
Personal Protective Equipment: The CDC recommends that PPE be worn when using chemical disinfectants for cleaning.9 Our KleenGuard® safety and personal protection equipment is designed to keep your operation running smoothly and your people safe. We offer protective clothing, thin mil and structured gloves, eyewear and face masks that enhance both safety and productivity. To determine appropriate PPE, refer to the Safety Data Sheet for the chemicals you will be using.
Cloth Face Coverings: The CDC also provides the following guidance on using protective face coverings: “…wearing cloth face coverings as a protective measure in addition to social distancing (i.e., staying at least 6 feet away from others). Cloth face coverings may be especially important when social distancing is not possible or feasible based on working conditions. …Cloth face coverings are not PPE. They are not appropriate substitutes for PPE such as respirators (like N95 respirators) or medical facemasks (like surgical masks) in workplaces where respirators or facemasks are recommended or required to protect the wearer.”10
Take Action
One key component to successful workplace hygiene is communication. As management leads the way in establishing new protocols, it takes every individual to put them into practice. Employees at your plant are relying on leadership to prioritize hygiene in critical times. They need to know what’s being done and what’s expected of them, via clear, detailed and thoughtful company announcements. Print and display the following visual cues to inspire a sense of security and encourage cooperation.
Take Action
To set up a successful manufacturing and food processing strategy, there are certain essential items to consider. Note your level of preparedness in each of these areas, then determine your action steps. For more guidance, connect with a Kimberly-Clark Professional Sales Representative to arrange a virtual hygiene walk-through.
Restroom cleanliness is a crucial piece of the workplace hygiene puzzle. Since measures taken
here can have a huge impact, consider these key restroom opportunities:
Keep hand soap in good supply to encourage proper hygiene. We deliver rich formulas containing moisturizers that help condition skin, promoting good hand hygiene and increasing restroom satisfaction. For an extra germ-killing step, provide sanitizers with at least 60% alcohol. Kimberly-Clark Professional also offers fragrance-free and alcohol-free options.
Kimberly-Clark Professional single-use towels help reduce the spread of germs. Their highly absorbent material means it takes fewer towels to dry hands. Our portfolio includes hard-roll and folded towels, as well as jumbo rolls and center-pull paper towels ideal for high-capacity areas. Space-saving and efficient dispensers, with touchless technology options, provide the solutions that suit your facility.
Kimberly-Clark Professional offers hygienic, fully enclosed toilet paper and dispenser options, plus disposable seat covers with dispensers that are fully enclosed for sanitation. We also offer options for maximum efficiency, as well as brands that deliver more home-like comfort.
Using a jet air dryer dispersed 1,300 times more germs than drying with paper towels. Faced with a choice of drying methods, 90% of people showed a behavioral preference for paper towels over jet air dryers in the washroom.
Hygiene Hint
Drying with paper towels reduces bacteria on fingers by up to 77%.
Whatever your manufacturing and food processing hygiene needs, Kimberly-Clark Professional has a range of solutions and bundles to help you create a cleaner, more hygienic workplace.
Discover our recommended products, and the areas where you’ll find them most useful.
This 950’ towel uses 17% less fiber than traditional hand towels through our unique Absorbency Pockets Technology and dries hands up to 40% faster than the leading jet air dryer.
Designed for everyday use, this 1.0 L Green Certified Foam Skin Cleanser and Alcohol Free± Foam Hand Sanitizer is free of fragrance and dyes. Install sanitizer near entry/exits for use when door handles are present.
Help your facility achieve zero waste with a dispenser that has a unique stub roll feature to reduce waste and costs. It’s a one-handed easy refill: no key, no door, no hassle.
Hygienic, no-touch dispensing design. Install near entry/exits to help provide a hygienic barrier and disposable solution for opening and closing doors.
A versatile, reusable cloth to replace assorted rags; absorbs 2X faster than rags for efficient cleanup.
Closed-bucket wiping system for saturated wiping with sanitizers, bleach and disinfectants; just pour in the cleaner you choose.
Portable, pre-saturated wipe that kills bacteria on hard, non-porous, non-food contact surfaces.
Effective against the most common bacteria that can contaminate surfaces and cause infection.
Maximum duty disposable cloths that are strong enough for the toughest cleanups. They have superior absorbency pound for pound compared to rental shop towels.
Pre-saturated waterless hand wipes. Dual-textured; smooth side for wiping and abrasive side for scrubbing.
