The recent resurgence of the Covid-19 pandemic has heightened the focus on employee safety. Now more than ever, hygiene protocols are imperative to the manufacturing sector, to ensure the safety of its staff and to ensure they can stay operational throughout the ongoing pandemic.

A survey about how Covid-19 has affected perceptions of cleanliness and hygiene in workplaces conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Kimberly-Clark Professional, has shown that three out of four people in the UK did not feel safe going back to their place of work following the first lockdown, and 86% indicated they would still avoid returning if they didn't think it was Covid-19 secure.

Olena Neznal, Kimberly-Clark Professional EMEA vice president, said: ”Kimberly-Clark Professional has provided productivity and hygiene solutions to the manufacturing sector for many years. We know that alongside the need for increased hygiene measures to ensure that people feel safe, there are other priorities to juggle – from changes in operations and supply chain disruption to financial impact.

”Indeed, the survey revealed that 53% of manufacturers anticipated a change in operations as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and 78% said that the uncertainty would have a financial impact.”

As the leaders in workplace hygiene, Kimberly-Clark Professional is keen to fully uncover the concerns and issues around returning to work across all sectors. The company commissioned Harris Interactive to discover how people really felt about their workplaces in the manufacturing sector and found that in the factories, warehouses, and distribution sector, 79% of respondents are now more aware of hygiene practices.

Mr Neznal added: ”Only manufacturers which win the confidence of their employees, suppliers and customers will thrive, and from this research it is clear that hygiene is now top of the manufacturing agenda.”

Interestingly, six out of seven of the most important factors listed in the research were cleaning and hygiene related, with only 31% thinking hygiene practices in factories are currently adequate, 61% saying that seeing cleaning in action was important; and 59% wanting cleaning and disinfecting procedures communicated clearly.

He continued ”Many businesses are clearly not doing enough, and people are scared, so these findings are crucial in guiding our ability to ensure we offer the best advice and solutions. There are no shortcuts to workplace hygiene – we need to cover every angle.”

Kimberly-Clark Professional has introduced the 360° Hygiene and Protection programme to help businesses get back on their feet and restore confidence. The company offers specific manufacturing facility support through considering need areas and tools to assess a facility and identify germ hotspots.

These can be objects such as tools, control panels, door handles, sink fixtures, lift buttons, and stair rails that are touched by many throughout the day and need frequent cleaning and needed to be regulary disinfected to help stop any Covid-19 transmission.

The next step is implementing cleaning and disinfecting protocols and introducing the correct hand hygiene and surface wiping solutions. Finally, Kimberly-Clark Professional promotes hygienic workplace practices by providing communication tools to help create awareness, which is a vital and an important part of making people feel safe.

A free no obligation Virtual Hygiene Walk – which can be booked through the microsite home.kcprofessional.com/UK_PR_TTNS_0920 – reviews a facility and provides expert guidance on cleaning and hygiene protocols, recommending the right product solutions to tackle key hygiene hotspots.

Kimberly-Clark Professional has also produced an in-depth guide for the manufacturing industry home.kcprofessional.com/UK_PR_Manu_1120 to show the most appropriate products and solutions.

Mr Neznal concluded: “Reassuring employees with visible hygiene actions has never been more important for a manufacturer’s survival, and yet not all are behaving this way. Kimberly-Clark Professional is the expert in workplace hygiene and is championing the need for hygiene to take centre-stage.”