Bailey C, Makison-Booth C, Nicholls G. HSE RR1225 (2025) Research Report
Highlights:
- This study aimed to identify whether the distribution of the splash around the sink area, after a common handwashing method, differed when compared with that seen when the handwashing method was modified.
- The sink area was split into areas and a presence or absence of contamination system used to indicate sink area contamination.
- Volunteers, after covering their hands with a fluorescent marker, washed them using either an NHS handwashing method or a modified version.
- After washing, the sink area was visualised under ultraviolet light and areas of contamination recorded.
- The biggest impact of the modification was seen when volunteers had to reach further for the soap. Here, the number of contamination events dropped from 10 contamination events out of a possible 10 to zero.
- The method has been incorporated into the revised World Health Organization’s Laboratory Biosafety Manual.






