International Infection Prevention Week 2024

International Infection Prevention Week 2024

It’s time again to celebrate and raise awareness for International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW). Established in 1986, IIPW highlights the critical role infection preventionists play in improving patient safety. This year’s theme, “Moving the Needle on Infection Prevention”, emphasizes the progress made across healthcare in reducing the spread of infections.

The Role of Hand Hygiene

One of the most essential aspects of infection prevention is maintaining proper hand hygiene. Regular handwashing or using hand sanitizer can dramatically reduce the transmission of infections within healthcare facilities. According to the World Health Organization, hand hygiene improvement programs can prevent up to 50% of avoidable infections during healthcare delivery.

Lower HAIs

Infection preventionists work tirelessly to combat infections and diseases, especially with ongoing outbreaks and viruses affecting our daily lives. One of the best ways to reduce healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) is by improving hand hygiene awareness—whether through better access to sanitizer and soap or increasing public awareness in shared spaces.

Acceptance = Compliance = Lower HAIs

Symmetry® Hand Hygiene Program

Symmetry’s® comprehensive approach supports healthcare professionals by providing high-quality, gentle hand hygiene products, along with tools like the Symmetry Behavior Modification System and Point of Care items. These resources help reinforce hand hygiene practices at critical moments throughout the day.

Point of Care Tools

Symmetry’s Point of Care tools help hospitals reach their infection prevention goals, including those outlined in APIC’s Patient Hand Hygiene Toolkit. This toolkit compiles data from several studies, concluding that a lack of patient hand hygiene contributes to room contamination and the spread of infection.

With Symmetry, healthcare facilities can increase patient awareness and provide greater access to hand hygiene  tools such as tray tables, bedside dispensers, and other easily accessible stations. This creates more opportunities for patients to clean their hands throughout the hospital, ultimately helping reduce infection rates.

Thank you to all infection preventionists for the invaluable work you do in safeguarding the health of patients, staff, and communities. Infection prevention is an ongoing commitment, and every effort helps to move the needle towards safer care for everyone.

For more information about how Symmetry can help prevent infections in your facility, contact your local Buckeye representative.

Fight Flu Season

Fight Flu Season

With fall slowly beginning, it’s the perfect time to start preparing for the inevitable flu season. In high-traffic environments like schools, hospitals, and large facilities, illnesses can spread quickly. Keeping your facility clean and ensuring proper hand hygiene practices are the most effective ways to protect against the flu.

Symmetry's® complete line of hand hygiene products and Behavior Modification System (SBMS) help make maintaining a healthy environment easier than ever. From hand washes and sanitizers to strategically placed dispensers, the Symmetry Hand Hygiene Program is designed to fit the specific needs of your facility and encourage flu prevention.

The Symmetry Behavior Modification System (SBMS)

Symmetry employs behavioral science to promote better hand hygiene practices, especially during flu season when hygiene is key. SBMS uses tools like color cues, mirrors, floor decals, and flashing signs, all strategically designed to influence behavior and increase hand hygiene compliance.

This flu season, Symmetry’s Behavior Modification tools add a layer of immediacy to your hand hygiene program. Unique placards and signs with motivational messages can be placed in high-traffic areas, capturing attention and prompting immediate hand sanitizing or washing. SBMS is designed to drive action and INSPIRE hand hygiene.

Eco®  Proportioning Program

Hand hygiene is just one piece of the puzzle in keeping facilities flu-free. To maintain a safe and healthy environment, especially during flu season, comprehensive cleaning and disinfecting are essential.

Buckeye’s Eco Proportioning Program offers a fully integrated solution that simplifies janitorial tasks and boosts efficiency. Designed with proprietary technology, the Eco Proportioning System delivers customized, super-concentrated cleaning products that save space, reduce waste, and optimize performance—keeping your facility ready to fight the flu.

Key features of the Eco Proportioning Program include:

Compact Design: Install Buckeye Eco proportioning systems in any custodial closet to maximize storage space.

Green Cleaning: Eco products are designed for maximum effectiveness while being ecologically safer, with several products certified by Green Seal™.

Flexible Packaging: Reduce product waste with flexible packaging that delivers a 99.9% product evacuation rate.

Super Concentrated Products: Buckeye’s concentrated formulas reduce labor time and deliver superior end-use cost savings.

Proprietary Technology: The innovative design of the Eco proportioning system ensures maximum efficiency during flu season and beyond.

Disinfectants for Flu Season

The Eco Proportioning Program includes two key disinfectants to further safeguard your facility during flu season: Buckeye Eco® One-Step Disinfectant/Deodorizer/Cleaner E22 and Buckeye Eco® Neutral Disinfectant E23 S23. Both products provide powerful, EPA-registered disinfection to keep your facility clean and safe.

Buckeye also offers a variety of other disinfectants designed for commercial cleaning, utilizing proprietary technology to ensure optimal performance against germs and viruses.

These disinfectants are quaternary ammonium, phenolic, and alcohol-based formulas that are EPA-registered and meet OSHA bloodborne pathogen standards. With a range of scent options, Buckeye disinfectants leave your facility not only thoroughly cleaned but also refreshed with pleasant aromas—offering a reliable line of defense against harmful pathogens during flu season.

Honors Training Program

Preparing for flu season requires not only the right products but also proper training. Buckeye’s Honors Program offers comprehensive training resources designed specifically for schools, universities, and large facilities. The program provides tools to reduce labor and costs while ensuring cleaning and disinfection meet the highest standards.

Through in-depth video tutorials on floor care, high-touch surface cleaning, and more, Buckeye ensures your staff is well-prepared. The program offers downloadable training manuals, Safety Data Sheets (SDS), and customizable wall charts, equipping your team with everything they need for flu season preparedness.

Get Ahead of The Flu

Flu season can feel overwhelming, but with Symmetry’s Behavior Modification System and Buckeye’s Eco Proportioning and Honors Programs, your facility will have the tools needed to stay healthy and prevent the spread of illness. From innovative hand hygiene products to effective disinfectants and in-depth training resources, Symmetry and Buckeye offer a complete solution for flu season preparation.

Contact your local representative today to learn more about how Symmetry and Buckeye can help you stay ahead of the flu.

Sharing the Knowledge- World Hand Hygiene Day 2024

Sharing the Knowledge- World Hand Hygiene Day 2024

Happy World Hand Hygiene Day! Healthcare providers everywhere work daily to prevent the spread of diseases in healthcare facilities all over the world. In light of this, we want to share our gratitude by promoting healthy hand hygiene practices. 

This year, WHO (World Health Organization) is focusing on sharing the importance of hand hygiene; we want to share best practices for healthy hand hygiene and why it’s important when at point of care for patients and healthcare workers.

Point of Care

Point of Care refers to the moments when healthcare workers are in contact with patients and are at the highest risk of spreading infections. In a hospital, there are many locations where workers are at the highest risk of spreading diseases from touching. 

5 Most Contaminated High Touch Surfaces in Hospitals (Infection Control Today):

  1. Bed rails
  2. Bed surfaces
  3. Supply carts
  4. Over-bed tales
  5. Intravenous pumps

These high touch surfaces overlap with the 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene that most healthcare workers are familiar with. The 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene approach defines the key moments when healthcare workers should perform hand hygiene. This evidence-based, field-tested, user-centered approach is designed to be easy to learn, logical, and applicable in a wide range of settings.

5 Moments for Hand Hygiene (World Health Organization): 

  1. Before patient contact 
  2. Before aseptic task 
  3. After body fluid exposure 
  4. After patient contact 
  5. After contact with patient surroundings

If you don’t make it [hand hygiene products] convenient right there at that second, no one is going to go around the corner and wash their hands. It must be available in the flow of what the employee is doing."William Parks, MD,

To combat Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI’s) at the source, Symmetry®  provides Point of Care Tools like 50 ml Tray Table Clips, 50 ml Suction Cups, and 550 ml Suction Cups. These tools make hand hygiene accessible to healthcare workers during the 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene, reducing the spread of disease and encouraging healthy hand hygiene practices. 

Lowering HAI’s

With the high-risk spread of HAIs and point of care being our focus, Symmetry provides helpful educational and awareness tools to support hand hygiene practices for all, not just in hospital areas but in most indoor settings. Symmetry’s goal is to lower HAI’s, with systems such as SBMS (Symmetry Behavior Modification System). SBMS is a set of unique, cost-effective tools based on six key tenets designed to INSPIRE hand hygiene compliance.

SBMS Six Key Tenets are:

  1. Benevolence
  2. Variation
  3. Responsibility
  4. Emotion
  5. Accountability
  6. Direction

With SBMS, Symmetry offers tools that provide Education and Awareness such as Digital Behavioral Driver Placards that use motion and sound to trigger a response to take action. Allowing for quick and easy customization of campaigns and initiatives, and offering image and video variation that keeps messaging fresh to avoid sign fatigue. SBMS also offers Symmetry Visual Lighting Cue (VLC) which uses light projections to trigger a response to take action. These light projections utilize various emojis from thumbs up, and smiley face, to heart.

Healthy hand hygiene is a daily practice and commitment for healthcare facilities. We thank our Healthcare providers for their amazing work to keep us all safe.

Contact your local representative to see how Symmetry’s point of care tools can help improve compliance in your facility.

International infection Prevention Week 2023

International infection Prevention Week 2023

Established in 1986, International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW) celebrates Infection Preventionists and aims to assist in decreasing the spread of infection in healthcare facilities. This year’s theme is “Celebrating the Fundamentals of Infection Prevention” with a goal to return to the basics of infection prevention.

The Basics

Understanding the basics of infection prevention begins with hand hygiene. Cleaning hands often with soap and water or hand sanitizer can make a huge difference in infection prevention. According to the World Health Organization, “Appropriate hand hygiene prevents up to 50% of avoidable infections acquired during healthcare delivery, including those affecting the health work force.”

Improving Hand Hygiene Compliance 

Infection Preventionists are working every day to break the chain of infection throughout the continuum of care. One of the best ways to reduce healthcare associated infections (HAIs) is to improve hand hygiene compliance rates. How do you improve hand hygiene compliance rates?

Acceptance + Compliance = Lower HAIs

If healthcare workers like the hand hygiene products available to them, they will use those products and, as a result, help prevent HAIs.

Symmetry Hand Hygiene 

Symmetry manufactures products that outperform other hand hygiene lines in overall quality and feel after repeated use. These products are gentle on healthcare workers’ hands, encouraging them to wash and sanitize them frequently.

With Point of Care Tools like lanyards, tray table suction cups, and cart brackets, Symmetry strives to make hand hygiene available throughout the workflow. The Symmetry Hand Hygiene Program also utilizes behavioral science to drive hand hygiene compliance. These unique placards, beacons, and visual lighting cues help draw attention to opportunities for hand hygiene in the moment.

Learn more about the complete program and how Symmetry works with Infection Preventionists to increase hand hygiene compliance and reduce infections in healthcare facilities by contacting your local representative.

Thank you to all the Infection Preventionists who are doing their part to keep healthcare facilities safe for everyone.

World Hand Hygiene Day

World Hand Hygiene Day

Celebrate World Hand Hygiene Day with us! Infection Preventionists around the world are doing so much to reduce the spread of disease in healthcare facilities and beyond. We want to show our thanks by promoting healthy hand hygiene practices.

This year, the World Health Organization’s slogan for World Hand Hygiene Day is, “Accelerate action together. SAVE LIVES – Clean Your Hands.” Their aim is to improve hand hygiene at point of care by reminding healthcare workers to love the 5 Moments.

What are the 5 Moments? 

The 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene are key moments when healthcare workers should perform hand hygiene. This evidence-based, field-tested, user-centered approach is designed to be easy to learn, logical, and applicable in a wide range of settings.

  1. Before Patient Contact
  2. Before Aseptic Task
  3. After Body Fluid Exposure Risk
  4. After Patient Contact
  5. After Contact with Patient Surroundings

Reducing the spread of HAIs begins with clean hands. Healthcare staff members, patients, and visitors can all benefit when hands are cleaned during the 5 moments.

Improving Hand Hygiene at Point of Care 

Point of Care refers to the moments when healthcare workers are in contact with patients and are at the highest risk of spreading infections. This includes most of the 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene. By increasing opportunities for hand hygiene at Point of Care, healthcare facilities can keep hand sanitizer and hand wash available at key times, including before and after patient contact. 

Due to the high risk of the spread of HAIs, the Joint Commission recognizes individual failure to follow hand hygiene procedures during point of care as a deficiency. This means that a complete hand hygiene program includes Point of Care tools that give healthcare workers easy access to hand hygiene opportunities while working directly with patients. 

Access to hand sanitizer at a W.O.W., tray table, anesthesia cart, or on your person makes hand hygiene more convenient for workers. Symmetry® offers Point of Care options for all of these and more:

  1. Tray Table/W.O.W. to ml
  2. Suction Cup 550 ml
  3. 50 ml Lanyard
  4. Suction Cup 50 ml
  5. Anesthesia Cart Bracket 550 ml

Hand hygiene is a year-round commitment for healthcare facilities. We thank our Infection Preventionists this World Hand Hygiene Day for the work they do all year long to keep us safe.

Contact your local representative to see how these tools can help improve compliance in your facility.

Maintenance Products, Programs, and Training for Healthcare Facilities

Maintenance Products, Programs, and Training for Healthcare Facilities

Combatting the spread of HAIs (healthcare associated infections) in healthcare facilities is a complex task that requires a multi-faceted approach. Hospitals and other healthcare facilities require an effective cleaning and maintenance program to protect staff, visitors, and patients from the spread of germs and illness.

Hand Hygiene 

The CDC states that hand hygiene is one of the most important steps in reducing the spread of germs. Making hand sanitizer and hand washes readily available to staff and visitors can help reduce the risk of the spread of germs, but there are other ways an effective hand hygiene program can combat disease.

In addition to top-of-the-line products, offering education and awareness materials alongside behavior modification tools that inspire immediate hand hygiene practices can increase compliance rates in healthcare facilities.

The Symmetry® Hand Hygiene Program offers those tools and more. Symmetry’s Point of Care tools make hand hygiene available when it’s needed most. For example, the 50 ml Tray Table/W.O.W. Clip puts sanitizer right at the patient’s bedside for easy access before and after patient care.

Cleaning and Disinfecting 

Proper cleaning and disinfecting procedures can have a huge impact on the spread of germs in any healthcare facility. The Buckeye Eco® Proportioning Program simplifies cleaning and disinfecting with automatic dilution, ensuring important products like disinfectants are properly diluted every time.

Eco products include cleaners, disinfectants, and sanitizers for every surface in a hospital or healthcare facility. EPA expects products on List N to kill all strains and variants of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) when used according to the label directions. All Eco disinfectants are on List-N.

However, a cleaning program is not complete without the proper training. Cleaning and disinfecting procedures need to be followed carefully so areas like patient rooms and hospital waiting rooms remain free of germs. To ensure hospital staff have access to the information they need, Buckeye created the Prescription Training Program.

Prescription is a complete maintenance program for hospitals that presents the products, procedures, and training needed to meet your facility’s highest standards. The Prescription program provides training in routine cleaning, patient room cleaning, surgery room cleaning, restroom, carpet care, hard floor care, and product safety. This program and its resources are available online, 24 hours a day.

Reducing the spread of HAIs is a constant battle. Make sure the people in your healthcare facility have access to the tools they need to combat illness. Contact your local sales representative to learn more.

Prepare for Flu Season with Symmetry and Eco

Prepare for Flu Season with Symmetry and Eco

CDC data shows that more than 9,100 positive flu tests have been recorded over the first three weeks of the flu season. This is the highest number of positive tests that have been recorded early in a season since the 2009-10 season.

To prevent the flu, the CDC recommends getting the yearly flu vaccine. You can also take a number of everyday preventative actions including avoiding close contact with those who are sick, covering your coughs and sneezes, cleaning and disinfecting surfaces, and washing your hands often.

It’s important for schools, hospitals, and retail facilities to take steps to protect students, patients, and employees from the flu and other diseases that spread during this time of year. One of the first lines of defense is hand hygiene. Ensure people in your facility have access to effective, gentle hand hygiene products that are proven to reduce common disease-causing bacteria.

Symmetry® offers hand sanitizers and hand washes that people want to use. The Symmetry Hand Hygiene Program offers unique tools that can help educate employees and visitors about hand hygiene and promote proper hand hygiene practices. The Symmetry Behavior Modification System utilizes unique placards and signs that draw attention to hand hygiene opportunities, helping you create a culture of hand hygiene and reduce illness in your facility.

Establishing a consistent, effective cleaning and disinfecting program can reduce the spread of the flu and other germs in your facility. The Buckeye Eco® Proportioning Program has cleaners and disinfectants for all surface types. Several Eco disinfectants have also been approved by the EPA for use against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19).

For schools and universities, the Buckeye Honors® Custodial Training Program can provide an additional level of support during flu season. With training modules on proper cleaning and disinfecting procedures for classroom, hallways, restrooms, cafeterias, and more, Honors can ensure your custodial staff are trained and prepared during the 2022-23 flu season and beyond.

Contact your Buckeye representative for more information about how Buckeye products and programs can help you combat the flu this year.

International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW) 2022

International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW) 2022

This week is International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW). Established in 1986, IIPW raises awareness of the role infection prevention plays in improving patient safety. This year’s theme, “The Future is Infection Prevention: 50 Years of Infection Prevention”, aims to show appreciation for APIC’s past work in infection prevention while inspiring new IPs to continue this important work.

Though there are many ways to reduce the spread of healthcare associated infections (HAIs), the most important way is to clean your hands. Symmetry strives to reduce HAIs with gentle products that people want to use in reliable dispensing systems.

Symmetry’s programmatic approach to hand hygiene educates and encourages proper hand hygiene practice with educational tools, the Symmetry Behavior Modification System, and Point of Care tools. Its education and awareness tools include posters and wall charts, designed to explain the “How” and “Why” of proper hand hygiene. The Symmetry Behavior Modification System consists of a series of unique placards and signs with messages designed to inspire and maximize hand hygiene practices. Symmetry Point of Care items include suction cups, brackets, and lanyards that make it possible to access hand sanitizer while workers are in contact with patients and are at the highest risk of spreading germs.

On behalf of Symmetry and Buckeye International, we’d like to thank our IPs for the work they continue to do while fighting COVID-19, the flu, and other healthcare associated infections. International Infection Prevention Week happens every third week of October, but infection prevention is a full-time job. Check out all of the tools APIC provides to keep you informed about infection prevention here.

Contact your local representative for more information about Symmetry products and how a complete hand hygiene program can improve compliance in your facility.

Omicron and Buckeye’s 4 Levels of Protection

Omicron and Buckeye’s 4 Levels of Protection

COVID-19 continues to evolve, causing new variants to occur, many of which are being tracked as the pandemic continues. Because these variants are each unique, they can spread at different speeds and can be more resistant to treatments or vaccines. The COVID-19 variant, Omicron, has been detected in most states and is rapidly increasing the proportion of COVID-19 cases in the US. In addition to getting vaccinated, wearing masks, and maintaining social distance, keeping your environment clean can go a long way in preventing the spread of COVID-19.

Facilities hoping to navigate the pandemic should develop a step-by-step cleaning and disinfecting program that will protect people who visit. Buckeye’s Door to Floor: 4 Levels of Protection program can help provide those who enter your facility with peace of mind during the pandemic.

Level 1: Protect Yourself with the Symmetry® Hand Hygiene Program

CDC Recommendation: Hand washing is one of the best ways you can help reduce the spread of germs.

Symmetry can help your facility implement a hand hygiene program, providing tools that promote education, awareness, and motivation to practice hand hygiene.

Level 2: Intermittently protect your facility with the Eco® Proportioning Program

CDC Recommendations: Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces following product label directions and proper dwell times. 

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved several Buckeye products for use against SARS-Related Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) [cause of COVID-19], including Buckeye Eco One-Step Disinfectant-Deodorizer-Cleaner E22. The Eco Proportioning Program comes with training materials and tools to help staff with proper disinfecting procedures. 

Level 3: Use Clarion® 25 Microban® Antimicrobial Floor Finish and Arena® Microban Antimicrobial Wood Floor Coating

Microban technology is built-in to these products during the manufacturing process. When microbes come in contact with the product surface, Microban technology penetrates the cell wall of the microorganism and disrupts the cell, making the microorganism unable to grow and reproduce. * 

*Microban technology does not protect users against disease-causing microorganisms. Microban Products Company makes neither direct nor implied public health claims. Normal cleaning practices should be maintained.

Level 4: Protect your facility with Gateway Liners and recommendations

Use stronger, better fitting liners to minimize contaminant exposure. Gateway Liners performs rigorous strength, weight, puncture and tear tests.

Properly dispose trash into lined containers and frequently replace liners. Frequently clean and disinfect inside and outside of trash containers. 

Buckeye takes COVID-19 seriously and continues to take a proactive approach in our effort to help minimize exposure to illness. Buckeye programs strive to educate the public on the importance of best cleaning, disinfecting, and hand hygiene practices. Contact your local representative to find out more about Buckeye’s Door to Floor: 4 Levels of Protection program.

Symmetry Hands-Free Dispenser Stand

Symmetry Hands-Free Dispenser Stand

During the COVID-19 pandemic, finding the right hand hygiene products and dispensers has become a top priority. Users want products that work and dispensers they can rely on. The Symmetry® Hand Hygiene Program has always provided products people want to use and dispensers that are reliable and durable. Symmetry’s newest dispenser is hands-free providing touchless access to hand sanitizer.

Why Use Hands-Free?

Though no studies have proven that touchless dispensers can decrease the spread of infection, research has indicated that people may prefer touchless dispensers and, in some cases, it can increase healthy hand hygiene practices. A study on hand hygiene in healthcare facilities published by Larson et al, concluded that, “Although no evidence indicates that devices that must be manually pressed to dispense cleanser increase the risk of transferring microbes, healthcare staff may express concern about the safety of touching dispensers and may prefer dispensers that are more accessible and easier to use than manual ones are.” Providing a touchless dispenser option for those who are concerned about touching dispensers can increase peace of mind among employees and customers in any facility.

Why Choose Symmetry?

Many hands-free dispensers rely on sensors and batteries, they often malfunction and require maintenance. The Symmetry Hands-Free Dispenser Stand does not require batteries and has few moving parts to ensure it works perfectly every time. Because the Symmetry Hands-Free Dispenser is pedal activated, there is no risk of dripping or sensor malfunction.

Other Important Features

The Hands-Free Dispenser Stand is made with UV protected HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) plastic and the spring, pedal pin, and screws are zinc coated for corrosion protection. This makes the dispenser stand perfect for outdoor use.

This dispenser also uses the same 1250 ml bags as standard Symmetry dispensers to simplify and standardize hand hygiene in your facility.

In addition to the Hands-Free Dispenser Stand, the Symmetry Hand Hygiene Program includes a full line of effective hand hygiene products and dispensers, complete with education, awareness and behavior modification tools, and training for your needs. Contact your local Buckeye representative for more information about the Symmetry Hands-Free Dispenser Stand and the Symmetry Hand Hygiene Program.