Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110

Your industry news - first

The original and best - for over 20 years!

We strongly recommend viewing Cleanzine full size in your web browser. Click our masthead above to visit our website version.

Swedish hospitals failing toilet hygiene guidelines

The majority of hospitals in Sweden are not following the country's guidelines for toilet hygiene, with many only cleaning the toilets once a day or less, according to an investigation by the Dagens Nyheter newspaper (DN). The investigation revealed that only seven of Sweden's 53 biggest hospitals adhere to the national guidelines, which suggest at least two toilet cleanings a day.

"If a department is open seven days then of course it should be cleaned seven days," Mall Kriisa, hygiene doctor and author of the guidelines for Swedish company hygiene, told DN.

Some hospitals were found to clean the toilets only once a day and even as little as five days a week when they were used over the entire week - which falls far behind the standards observed in petrol stations, fast food chains and airports.

For example, the Ryhov Hospital in Jönköping allegedly only cleans the toilets once a day, despite the fact that hundreds of visitors use the premises daily. The hospital was hit by a bacteria outbreak in the Summer.

For now, authorities are investigating how to ensure the guidelines are followed. "We're doing what we can to put this knowledge into practice," Michael Soop, medical officer at the Swedish National Board of Health & Welfare (Socialstyrelsen), told DN. "The first thing is to ask the county council management what focus they have on cleaning. Next year we hope to follow up if the guidelines are being followed."

13th December 2012