Hand hygiene for non-healthcare environments

Good hand hygiene helps to protect you and others from germs that cause sickness and disease, such as influenza, gastro or COVID-19.

Hand hygiene refers to practices that help remove harmful germs from hands, including washing hands with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand sanitiser.

Some examples of when hand hygiene should be performed includes: 

  • when hands are visibly dirty
  • after going to the toilet or changing a nappy
  • before and after handling food
  • before touching your eyes, nose or mouth
  • after sneezing, coughing, or blowing your nose
  • after caring for someone who is sick
  • after handling rubbish
  • after touching animals and pets
  • after smoking.

For further information about hand hygiene including hand washing tips, refer to Health Direct.

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Good infection prevention and control can help minimise the risk of infections including respiratory illnesses such as colds, influenza and gastrointestinal illnesses such as viral gastro. Infectious diseases can be spread in many ways, including by germs on our hands, when we cough or sneeze or from contaminated surfaces.