Applying first principles to hygienic washroom design

. A recent review of existing Department of Health infection control guidance caused Carole Armstrong, Marketing and Communications manager at Delabie UK, to reflect that, as she puts it, ‘we don’t need to reinvent the wheel’. Existing guidance already provides an excellent starting point for best practice, especially in healthcare, where the recommendations regarding hand hygiene also provide common sense guidelines for other aspects of washroom design.

Design plays an influential role in hand hygiene. According to Health Building Note 00-09 (HBN 00-09), if the facilities are well-designed and suitably located, the user will be motivated to adopt and comply with good hand hygiene practices. However, this relies on informed decisions being made at the project planning stage to ensure the desired outcome at the implementation stage

The guidance provides three examples of design principles: to facilitate cleanliness and cleaning; to encourage desired behaviour, and design for easy cleaning. Although the guidance has not changed significantly, recent years have seen advances in the materials and technology adopted by sanitaryware, tapware, and hygienic equipment manufacturers. If key stakeholders, such as the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) and Estates & Facilities teams, are aware of these developments during the planning stage, good hygiene practice will be assured.