Hands up

I wrote a few weeks ago that one human is universal is that we are all lazy and gross.  That has provided an innovation opportunity.

Some interesting psychology is involved with this device called the Handscanner that is making its way to restaurants.  Of course, every restaurant posts signs demanding that employees wash their hands before returning to work. However, employees only wash their hands properly about a third of the time.

(Oh, and research suggests 28 percent of us have traces of fecal matter on our hands. Bon Appétit.) 

There is a bit of a creepy Orwellian vibe about the Handscanner, but it works like this: You install it near the sink.  An employee enters the restroom and the Handscanner recognizes them via a personal RFID badge.  After they wash their hands, they scan them and if the Handscanner detects bacteria, it orders the employee to wash their hands again and then rescan.

If the employee fails to do this, the Handscanner automatically sends the restaurant manager notification of a possible contamination. 

Interestingly, employees who fail a scan subsequently wash their hands 3-5 times more frequently.  And approximately 90% of employees in these restaurants was their hands and scan them before returning home, so the scanner has inadvertently created a healthy going home ritual.

There are other ways to promote handwashing – possibly less effective, ultimately, but still interesting.  The message beside the sink matters – men respond more to messages that activate disgust, women to those that emphasize how soap kills germs.  Telling someone to sing “Happy Birthday” to themselves while they wash their hands can become a habit that helps people wash for the recommended 20 seconds.  Even using color to make the hand soap or sanitizer stand out from the surrounding environment can nudge people in the right direction.