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NEWS HAND SANITISER STANDARDS ‘A CONFUSING MESS’ A survey has revealed “widespread confusion” among Australians about the quality, effectiveness, and monitoring of hand sanitiser products in Australia, says Choice, prompting the consumer group to call for labelling reform. According to Choice’s recent survey, 66 per cent of Australian respondents either didn’t know (36 per cent) or incorrectly believed (30 per cent) alcohol free sanitisers would protect them from Covid-19. This, says the organisation, highlights a “major information gap” that could leave Australians buying products that won’t protect them. A further Choice analysis of sanitiser labelling found sanitisers lacking key information like the percentage of alcohol in products, making it difficult to buy products that meet WHO standards for sanitisers. “Hand sanitiser standards and labelling in Australia is a confusing mess,” Choice Health Campaigner Dean Price said. “Right now, companies can call non- alcoholic gel products ‘hand sanitiser’ even when there’s no good evidence these products offer effective protection against viruses. These dud ‘sanitisers’ can sit on the same supermarket shelves as genuinely effective options. We need better labels to help people find sanitisers guaranteed to protect them and their families. “The Australian government has an opportunity to fix sanitiser labels with better regulation and to resource spot checks to make sure the sanitisers on the market actually protect people against viruses.” In addition, the “nationally representative” survey by Choice found that: • Fifty-nine per cent of respondents believe that hand sanitisers sold in Australia are required by law to state the percentage of alcohol they contain on the label (they don’t). • Forty-nine per cent of respondents believe that hand sanitisers sold in Australia are required by law to contain a certain amount of alcohol (they don’t). • Seventy-four per cent of respondents trust sanitisers sold in supermarkets and chemists are effective against Covid-19. Choice also analysed the labelling and claims of 30 supermarket sanitisers, after conducting its own alcohol content spot test earlier this year. Nearly half of the sanitiser products analysed lacked key information, which Choice says demonstrates the need for government action. The analysis of 30 supermarket sanitiser labels found that 47 per cent of sanitiser brands don’t label the percentage of alcohol in their product Choice is calling for the Australian government and Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar to urgently: • Implement a national labelling standard for sanitiser products so that only products known to be effective against viruses can use the term ‘hand sanitiser’. • Resource regular spot checks of sanitiser products to ensure they have enough alcohol to be effective against Covid-19. “These are simple actions the federal government can take right now to ensure safe and effective sanitisers are being sold to Australians,” Mr Price said. “Even outside of the context of a global pandemic, we must set a higher standard for essential health products.” ASKING EMPLOYEES TO FULFIL CLEANING A WORKPLACE RISK While most workplaces are cleaning their premises “regularly and thoroughly”, reveals new research, many Aussie employees have been tasked with carrying out office cleaning themselves. The research commissioned by specialist anti-viral commercial cleaning company Cleancorp found that 59 per cent of employees surveyed admitted their organisations have asked them, or their colleagues, to clean areas of their workplace. The survey also found that more than half (55 per cent) of Aussie workers surveyed have been asked by management – or think they will be asked when they get back to work – to take responsibility for sanitising their own workspaces so that it becomes a normal part of their workday, and doesn’t burden the company with additional cleaning costs. “Interestingly”, says Cleancorp, those working in the media and entertainment, healthcare and retail industries are more likely to have been tasked with such responsibilities. Three-quarters (73 per cent) of those in the media and entertainment industry and an equal 64 per cent in healthcare and retail are taking responsibility for the sanitisation of their workspaces. This compares with 46 per cent working in IT, energy, and telecommunications services, and 40 per cent in financial and insurance services. Furthermore, a “concerning” 34 per cent of respondents admit their workplaces are not cleaned that often. And “concerningly”, more than a fifth (22 per cent) say they have not seen any additional cleaning efforts to reduce the risk of Covid-19 infection in their workplace. Cleancorp co-founder and Director Lisa Macqueen says it’s concerning to see that such a high number of workplaces are asking their own employees to do the cleaning work, and that many are not implementing daily cleaning practices. “Given the current climate, cutting corners by using untrained staff and failing to enforce appropriate measures in the workplace can have a devastating impact on your organisation, as it not only opens staff up to the risk of contracting Covid-19, but to injury as well,” she said. Despite this, Cleancorp acknowledges a “silver lining”, with “most” organisations appearing to be cleaned more regularly, more thoroughly, or both. Forty-four (44) per cent of respondents say their workplace is being cleaned more regularly, while 15 per cent say their workplace is being cleaned more thoroughly, and a fifth (20 per cent) reveal it is being cleaned more regularly and more thoroughly. It also appears the larger the organisation, the more regularly their workplaces are being cleaned. More than half (54 per cent) of respondents in organisations of 501-1000 employees and 51 per cent of respondents in organisations of 51-500 employees say their workplace is being cleaned more regularly. This compares with 44 per cent of those in small organisations (15-50 employees), and 34 per cent of those in micro-businesses (up to 15 employees). 10 RETAIL WORLD NOV, 2020