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Optimizing Hygiene Standards for Greenhouse Operations
Written by Dirk Timmers | Last update: 9. August 2023
It's common practice to have a hygiene station for hand disinfection at greenhouse entrances. Hand disinfection alone isn't enough to eliminate bacteria and safeguard against crop contamination. In this article, our experts discuss solutions for comprehensive greenhouse hygiene by listing best practices for entering a horticultural facility.
Cleansing and Sanitizing Your Hands
Cleaning and disinfecting are distinct, yet intertwined, parts of proper hygiene practice. Proper hand disinfection should following a thorough cleaning. Cleansing hands with soap eliminates the existing layer of dirt and grease. This step is vital, because it allows greenhouse disinfectant to work on stubborn bacteria on the hands. Without an intitial cleaning, the disinfectant wouldn't get through the barrier of dirt and grease.
With greenhouse hygiene, maintaing a two-fold approach is crucial: start with hand cleansing using soap to eliminate dirt and grease, and then apply a suitable greenhouse disinfectant to eliminate any residual bacteria. This ensures meticulous cleansing and disinfection, which minimizes the risk of contamination within the greenhouse.
Sanitizing the Interior of Greenhouses
In the dynamic landscape of today's horticultural realm, technological advancements and innovation have revolutionized practices for disinfection of greenhouse interiors. From automated spraying systems to sophisticated fogging techniques, adopting modern solutions are key to improving the efficiency and efficacy of disinfection procedures. Maintaining a clean, sanitized greenhouse interior is important for safeguarding plants against disease. Skipping these simple but crucial steps can cause a breeding ground for pathogens and pests, which can decrease crop quality, yield depreciation, and increase production expenditures. The act of disinfecting the greenhouse interior serves to disrupt the disease cycle.
Instruction video
In the video below, experts discuss the benefits of the hygiene station, and the useage of greenhouse disinfectant. You can get nsights into how to harness the full potential of the hygiene station to maintain optimal greenhouse hygiene standards.
Achieving Optimal Greenhouse Hygiene in Five Steps
The intrusion of bacteria or other plant pathogens into the crop can lead to major issues. To prevent this, it's important to establish a hygienic environment that stops the transmission of these bacteria by employees or other visitors. Employing a hygiene station is instrumental in maintaining optimal standards of hygiene within the greenhouse. By using a hygiene station, a five-step process is utilized: handwashing with soap, hand drying, hand disinfection, cleaning of shoe soles, and disinfection of shoe soles.
It's important to note that while these five stages assure optimal hygiene, the removal of certain steps can be considered based on your specific objectives.
1. Effective Hand Soaping
The initial stage involves lathering the hands with soap. For this process, you can use individual dispensers located beside the sink, or you can have a unit specifically designed for hand soaping. The advantage of the unit is that individuals are prompted to clean their hands; the unit features a turnstile mechanism only opens after soaping. This station stops the potential for the infiltration of bacteria into the crop.
2. Thorough Hand Cleansing and Drying
Following the application of soap to the hands, the next step is to rinse them in the sink. The aim here is to cleanse the hands of any grease and dirt. To optimize this procedure, it's essential to adhere to the handwashing protocol. You might consider affixing this protocol near the sinks for reference. Then ensure a thorough drying of the hands. The best way to achieve this is with the aid of an automated hand dryer.
3. Precise Hand Disinfection
Once the layer of grease and dirt has been removed, the next step involves disinfecting your hands. Either through the use of individual dispensers or a specialized unit. Choosing a hygienic gateway offers the advantage that hands are disinfected via nozzles that dispense disinfectant onto both the upper and lower surfaces of the hands at the same time.
4. Thorough Sole Cleansing
The same principles apply to the shoe soles as they do for the hands: initial cleansing followed by disinfection. Cleaning the shoe soles is accomplished when an individual walks on the bristles of a designated unit.
5. Comprehensive Sole Disinfection
To effectively eliminate bacteria from the shoe soles, it's recommended to disinfect them subsequent to cleaning. This is most important when individuals entering the facility are wearing the same shoes they use outdoors.This can introduce bacteria from the outside into the crop.
Types of Hygiene Stations
We've discussed the importance of hygiene upon entering the greenhouse, but it's also important to consider hygiene upon exiting. This extends to practices such as handwashing, disinfection, or shoe polishing before breaks for your employees. A range of hygiene station options is available. These include the dual hygiene station, the cart disinfection station, the compact hygienic station, or a simple hand soap unit. Information on the various types of hygiene stations can be provided for your reference. Units can also be customized to align with your specific needs.
Interior Greenhouse Disinfection
Carefully choosing the right disinfection solutions is key for the efficacy of interior greenhouse disinfection. Factors such as crop variety, disease pressure, and application methods should be considered when deciding upon disinfectants, equipment, and protocols. Speaking with the experts at Royal Brinkman can find solutions tailored to your distinct greenhouse needs.
Maintenance of Greenhouse Hygiene Stations
An effective hygiene station is crucial to minimizing the risk of bacteria, viruses, and fungi in a greenhouse environment. A station can effectively facilitate the cleansing and disinfection of hands and shoe soles, which can eliminate the entry of detrimental microorganisms. Because employees and visitors utilize hygiene stations frequently throughout the day, regular upkeep and maintenance are paramount.
Routine cleaning and maintenance of hygiene stations significantly diminishes the likelihood of crop contamination and the introduction of infections. Using suitable greenhouse disinfectants during cleaning ensures disinfection and the elimination of potential pathogens that might linger on the surfaces of the hygiene stations. Maintenance practices, including regular cleaning with greenhouse disinfectant, play a key role in protecting the well-being of crops.
Brochure: Crop rotation - Finish clean, start clean
Is your new crop infected with pests and diseases after crop rotation? You can prevent this with the right hygiene measures. In this brochure you will find a step-by-step plan to start your crop clean.
