Dr Rachna Dave, Founder & CEO, MicroGO LLP.
The need for easy, accessible and effective hand hygiene products and SOPs that can be monitored in real time is a critical component of any hand hygiene programme, especially in warehouses where the awareness of the personnel and regular training can be a limitation, writes Dr Rachna Dave, Founder & CEO, MicroGO LLP.
Let us start by answering these questions: What are good hand hygiene practices (GHHP)? What should the definition of SOPs be in a shop floor-like setting? How should hand hygiene be performed and where should it be followed? How can one inculcate GHHP in personnel working at the premises?
Homegrown Smart hand hygiene solution
GOassureTM (patent pending) is India’s first and only smart hand hygiene solution that answers all of the above questions. It ensures GHHP (six steps and recommended time period of hand hygiene) recommended by agencies like FSSAI and WHO, and is also customisable. Some of the SOPs examples include performing hand hygiene while entering the workplace or when leaving the washroom, and regular hand hygiene while handling goods.
GOassure MAX version is specially designed for personnel handling heavy organic and microbial loads. It assures 40-60 seconds hand hygiene protocol with 3-stage process encompassing aqueous cleanser-drying-hand rub, resulting in 99.99% anti-microbial efficiency. The hand drying method assures no aerosol generation which can lead to secondary contamination of the premises.
Tech for teaching, monitoring and compliance
GOassure inbuilt intelligent technology guides the user every time in performing hand hygiene according to the good hand hygiene practices and alarms the user (audio and visual) in event of non-compliance. Being IoT-enabled, GOassure provides real-time monitoring of SOPs; the compliance data (individual and facility level both) is accordingly captured and sent to the cloud and displayed on the dashboard which is customised for each client.
Case study: Agri-commerce warehouse
Waycool® Foods and Products Pvt Limited, India’s largest and fastest growing agri-commerce company supplying fresh fruits, vegetables and staples, was closely involved in multiple user trials and providing active feedback as the first pilot customer. The aim was to ensure that the final product version resolves practical issues faced by personnel handling food.
After multiple product iterations, they installed the first GOassure MAX unit in 2018. Waycool has numerous distribution centers across India where goods are being received, sorted, aggregated as per demand, and transported again. A centralised hand hygiene monitoring system enables them to keep a vigil on the SOPs followed at each location with exact hand hygiene compliance (%). Importantly, the center works 24x7x365.
The SOPs were defined as follows: While punching-in, the staff had to perform hand hygiene using the GOassure MAX which is also enabled with attendance monitoring. Beeping alerts inbuilt in it alerts the staff about the hand hygiene time period, and compliance data is accordingly recorded and reflected on the dashboard as hygiene compliance %.
Success and benefits
Waycool Foods has been able to achieve target hand hygiene compliance with water savings of more than 1,00,000 liters a year at each site. The quarterly microbiological audit report is also reflected on the dashboard, giving hygiene managers a comprehensive view of their hand hygiene programme.
With GOassure range of solutions, WayCool Foods and other businesses are aiming to ensure that hand hygiene performed is effective, thereby ensuring a healthy workforce. It also enables lesser loss of man-days. Being remotely monitored, it removes discrepancies arising due to manual audit and thereby brings habit changes due to real-time feedback monitoring. The unique formulation and design provides sustainability (even with the strictest of SOPs) by saving water and boosts bottom lines by assured savings.
It is time that India embraces digitalisation in MicroSwachhtaTM and MicroGO aims to enable just that.
