5 Bathroom Safety Tips in the Workplace

One of the most frequently visited public bathrooms will doubtless be the one in your workplace (unless bladder control is your superpower!). Unlike most public bathrooms, the one at your workplace will likely have fewer people using it over one particular day. However, that by no means guarantees that it will be healthier or safer to use. Think of all the people who used it, spilled water on the floor, touched the door knobs and flushes on the toilets with their germ-filled hands…ugh! Now that is something a germ phobic,  careful employee like yourself would absolutely not want to see or touch! Not to worry! By following these 5 tips you can easily deal with the nastiness of the workplace bathroom.

Carry tissues and sanitizers

Surely you knew this was going to be first? The first safety issue anybody faces with using a public bathroom is the possibility of getting a viral disease. The source of this disease could be anything- doorknobs, toilet seats, the air around the place, you name it! Now, while going into the washroom with a mask on is weird, being extra careful regarding what you come in contact with certainly is not. USE TISSUE. Use it to open the doors, use it when touching the walls, turning on the faucets, and anything else that might need physical contact. After washing your hands, use another piece of tissue or paper towel to dry, and dispose of appropriately.

After doing the deed and washing after yourself, it also helps to apply sanitizer to your hands. If adequately equipped, you might as well use tissue paper to wipe toilet seats before using them. Not only is it going to give you peace of mind (trust us, it will!), it doesn’t hurt going the extra distance for keeping healthy.

These tips, alongside certain common sense actions like flushing with the lid down, should help you get through the trouble of workplace bathroom disease mania.

Avoid stepping on wet floor

Sometimes you might be in a rush to use the bathroom. You run to the bathroom door and open it, only to see that the floor is wet. What do you do? Hint: Do not go in! The reasons should be obvious. First of all, wet floors are a safety hazard. Anyone wearing shoes can experience a good old slip. Anyone desperate enough might try taking their shoes off and strut around wearing socks, or even barefoot. That is also a no-no. Wet floors contain germs that can make you ill.

The best thing to do would be to call the staff responsible for bathroom maintenance to wipe it off, wait for them to get done, and then enter. You don’t need superpowers to hold it in for a few minutes!

Also, if you have old bathroom faucets, a good idea might be to just replace them from time to time.

If you ever see a portion of the bathroom floor wet even while you are inside, be sure to call up someone to have it wiped off after you are done.

Take your time

Hey man, why don’t you just slow down? We get it, your bladder might explode, or you have to get back to your meeting quickly. But you have to take it slow. Running to and inside the bathroom can cause a nasty fall. Rushing to get done with answering nature’s calls can be unhealthy (yes, that is true) and also lead you to injure yourself if you make one move too fast.

Walk to the bathroom, use the toilet while taking your time, but not too much, and then calmly get back to your business. Plus, rushing things will make you look bad among your coworkers. Imagine how embarrassing it would be if Harold from Accounting told you to “take it easy in there”.

Do not spill water on the floor

For reasons not to do so, refer to the section where we explicitly state not stepping on the wet floor. Now let’s look at how to make sure you don’t spill water.

First of all, you don’t have to blast the faucet at full speed every time you need to wash. Not only are you being an environmentally-irresponsible person (shame on you!), you run the risk of spilling water on the floor. You are putting yourself and others at risk just to make your hands feel like they have been cleaned well.

The same applies when rinsing your hands. Do so slowly, making sure none of the water escapes the basin. If your toilets have hand-showers or the likes, make sure not to put full pressure on the shower handle. Just a light press should be enough for you to clean your rear end!

This infographic about common bathroom problems and how to fix them can be a very interesting one to follow.

Do not keep belongings on the bathroom floor

No, we do not care if you were just on your way out. Never keep your bag, belt, shoes, or anything lying on the bathroom floor. People unaware may step on them and fall. Even if people are aware, they would have to go the extra step to avoid trampling them.
To make matters worse, the bathroom floors aren’t the cleanest of places. They have germs that can then attach themselves to your belongings. Once you pick your bag up or wear your belt again, you effectively pick up the germs. Then you take it with you to your cubicle, then to your coworkers, and maybe to your boss too. There is the odd chance Harold from Accounting might catch it, but is it really worth it?

Staying healthy is no longer a luxury. It keeps you safe, it keeps people around you safe, and it helps you to be at your best. At the same time, bathrooms are an unsuspecting danger that seemingly lurks in the shadow, waiting for you to put one wrong foot on the wet floor. Taking precautions to protect yourself from disease and hugging the floor will keep you safe. You may not be a tough cookie when you spread that sanitizer all over your hand, but you can be a smart one. Take that Harold from Accounting!