School play equipment “could be an infection risk”
Research carried out by Rentokil Specialist Hygiene identified that the most unhygienic objects in a school or nursery setting may well be commonly shared items such as toys, play equipment and pens and pencils, according to a recent report on the Birmingham Mail website.
130 locations were swabbed in the survey, according to the article, at a south of England primary and nursery school, which were not named at their request.
Play equipment is clearly most popular with children – as evidenced by the fact that it had far more “bugs” on it than more functional elements such as food handles and radiators.
“At one school a “play” dinosaur registered a contamination reading 41 times higher than that obtained from a toilet door.”
The report quotes Rentokil Specialist Hygiene technical manager Luke Rutterford as saying
“Play equipment and shared items such as pens and pencils, are used regularly throughout the day but rarely cleaned, providing lots of opportunity for cross contamination.”
Manty Stanley, MD of TEAL Patents, which specialises in producing portable hand washing equipment for younger children said in response to the article,
“This is precisely why the teaching of effective hand washing techniques really is the most important lesson a child can learn. Having a suitable hand washing facility available in the classroom should therefore be the highest priority for any preschool or nursery facility.”
Read more: Why school play equipment could be an infection risk to your child »
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