Hygiene & Safety Metrics

Hygiene Performance Metrics

Hand-Hygiene Compliance Rate

Definition
The proportion of required hand-hygiene opportunities where hand washing or hand antisepsis actually occurs. This is the top-level performance indicator used in healthcare and high-risk facilities.

Influence of Dispenser Design
Automatic dispensers contribute to improved compliance by:

• Eliminating the requirement for touching a lever or to push bar.
• Providing rapid activation with minimal user effort.
• Allowing consistent placement at logical points in the workflow.

In environments such as hospitals, food service areas and schools, touchless systems placed in sightlines and along natural traffic paths have been associated with significant gains in observed compliance when combined with staff training and feedback programs.

Design and Specification Notes

• Specify sensor response time and sensing distance in performance criteria.
• Coordinate dispenser locations in plans and elevations to support clinical or operational workflows, rather than leaving placement to field judgment.
• Where compliance monitoring is required, prefer models capable of integration with electronic monitoring or RTLS systems.

Dosage Accuracy and Repeatability

Definition
The consistency and correctness of the volume of soap delivered per activation.

• Over-dispensing: waste of product, extended rinse time, potential for increased water use.
• Under-dispensing: ineffective soil removal and reduced hygiene performance.

Engineering Aspects

Automatic dispensers typically use controlled pump mechanisms (e.g., peristaltic pumps or calibrated plungers). Key parameters include:

• Nominal dose (e.g., 0.7–1.5 mL per actuation, depending on product type).
• Tolerance across the service life of the dispenser and over the range of soaps approved for use.
• Availability of adjustable dose settings to accommodate different risk zones (clinical vs. administrative, for example).

Specification Considerations

• Require manufacturers to state nominal dose and allowable variation.
• Where multi-level dosing is available, define required dose ranges and default settings for each application.
• Ensure compatibility with selected soap formulations (viscosity, foaming characteristics, sanitizer content).

Cross-Contamination Risk

Definition
The risk that the dispenser body or interface acts as a fomite-an environmental surface involved in the transmission of the pathogens.

The manual pump-style dispensers tend to become high-touch surfaces, especially in health care and food service areas. The touchless device eliminates the need to touch the actuation mechanism, greatly reducing the potential for cross-contamination at that point.

Design Factors

• Touchless activation (infrared or similar sensor technology).
• Smooth external geometries that avoid dirt traps and are easy to wipe.
• Materials compatible with routine disinfection (including healthcare-grade disinfectants where applicable).

Specification Notes

• Call for smooth, non-porous exterior surfaces and limit unnecessary seams, fasteners and horizontal ledges.
• Require documentation of chemical compatibility with the facility’s cleaning agents.
• For high-risk areas, consider coordinated validation with infection control staff.

Availability, Uptime and Maintenance Metrics

A dispenser that is empty, disabled or unpowered cannot contribute to hygiene outcomes. Typical operational metrics include:

• Uptime percentage (time during which the dispenser is functional and stocked).
• Refill interval and incidence of stock-out events.
• Frequency of sensor faults and nuisance activations.

Smart dispensers may provide counters for actuations, reservoir level and power status. When connected to facility-management systems, these data support proactive maintenance and reduce the probability that users encounter inoperative dispensers.

Accessibility and ADA-Relevant Metrics

ADA Standards Overview

The 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, issued by the U.S. Department of Justice, establish scoping and technical requirements for accessible elements in public facilities. Guidance and supporting material are also available from the U.S. Access Board.

Metrics Affecting Soap Dispensers

The most relevant ADA parameters for soap dispensers include:

• Reach range: operable parts generally within 15–48 inches above finished floor for unobstructed reaches.
• Operability: one-hand operation without tight grasping, pinching or twisting of the wrist, and with low operating force.
• Protrusion: objects between 27 and 80 inches above finished floor may not project more than 4 inches into circulation paths.

Design and Specification Implications

• Touchless activation inherently meets the “no grasping” requirement, but height and location must still be fully coordinated.
• Elevations should show explicit mounting heights for accessible dispensers rather than generic “by installer” notes.
• Where multi-basin arrangements are used, at least one dispenser per accessible basin must fully comply with ADA reach and clearance requirements.

Water, Sustainability and Regulatory Context

WaterSense and Indirect Water Metrics

The U.S. EPA WaterSense program defines performance and efficiency criteria for water-using fixtures such as faucets and showerheads. While WaterSense does not label soap dispensers directly, soap dosage influences rinse duration and therefore water consumption during hand washing.

Systemically, the inclusion of dispensers that avoid over-dispensing helps to ensure the viability of low-flow faucets with the WaterSense label by maintaining rinse time within acceptable limits.

CALGreen and Green-Building Objectives

The California Green Building Standards Code (CALGreen) sets out requirements as well as voluntary requirements for water efficiency, material conservation, as well as other sustainability criteria for buildings. In relation to projects governed by regulations such as CALGreen, soap dispensers indirectly participate in code compliance through water usage, consumable packaging, and maintenance cycles.

Design teams could define the dispensers in the context of a “high-efficiency hand-wash station” that matches the goals of water efficiency and waste reduction.

Life-Cycle Cost, Durability and Waste Reduction

From a life-cycle perspective, relevant metrics include:

• Long-term soap consumption volume under realistic usage.
• Number and size of refill cartridges or pouches required per year.
• Labour time required for refilling and maintenance.
• Expected service life before replacement.

Accurate dosing and durable mechanical components reduce both consumable use and maintenance interventions, improving total cost of ownership and reducing associated waste streams (packaging, transportation, disposal).

System Integration and Data-Driven Hygiene Management

Smart Dispensers and Facility-Management Integration

Modern dispenser systems can incorporate electronics for counting actuations, monitoring reservoir levels and reporting low-battery or fault conditions. When connected to a facility-management platform, these data enable:

• Tracking of zone-specific usage and inferred compliance trends.
• Proactive refilling to avoid stock-outs.
• Documentation for audits, certifications or quality-improvement programs.

In the complex healthcare or laboratory setting, interface within overall infection control analytics can help improve the ability to make connections regarding hygiene interventions and outcomes.

Example Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Typical KPIs for dispenser systems in commercial and institutional facilities include:

• Hand-hygiene compliance rate (as measured by direct observation or electronic systems).
• Average dose per activation and variation over time.
• Dispenser uptime and frequency of outages or stock-outs.
• Soap consumption per occupant, per patient-day or per useable floor area.

Specification Checklist for Architects and Engineers

When incorporating automatic soap dispensers into Division 10 or Division 22 specifications, the following checklist can be used:

Hygiene Metrics

• Nominal dose per activation, adjustable range and tolerance.
• Evidence of contamination control (touchless operation, cleanable geometries).
• Data or documentation on expected impact on compliance and hygiene performance.

Safety and Materials

• Materials compatible with cleaning agents and, where applicable, alignment with ASME A112.18.1/CSA B125.1 expectations for plumbing supply fittings.
• Reference to NSF/ANSI 61 and NSF/ANSI 372 where components contact potable water.

Accessibility (ADA)

• Mounting heights and clearances compliant with ADA reach ranges.
• Confirmation of one-hand, low-force operation with no grasping, pinching or twisting.
• Attention to protrusion limits into circulation routes.

Water and Sustainability Alignment

• Coordination with WaterSense-eligible fixtures to ensure functional hand-washing.
• Story of how dispenser choices add up to meeting CALGreen or other goals of green construction (water efficiency, waste reduction, efficiency of operation).

System Integration

• Availability of usage and status data, and compatibility with facility-management or BMS platforms if required.
• Defined communication protocols and power requirements for smart units.

Durability and Maintenance

• Stated service life and cycle-testing benchmarks.
• Description of refill procedures, access locations and service clearances.
• Replacement-part strategy and support expectations over the building life cycle.