Personnel hygiene stations for re-entry from the toilet area into the production area

Company frischbäck, part of the IHLE Group, is one of Europe's modern baked goods manufacturers. At the production plant in Gersthofen, Germany, an additional personnel hygiene station was installed on the ground floor in addition to the main central employee sluice. This sluice regulates the hygienically controlled re-entry from the employee WC/toilet area towards the production line.

While the main personnel hygiene station secures the transition from the social and changing rooms to production, the staff toilet sluice has its own internal task: it ensures that employees do not go directly into production-related zones after leaving the sanitary areas, but pass through a clearly defined and unavoidable hygiene sequence.

The focus here is on safe hand hygiene, cleaning and disinfecting the soles of shoes, avoiding water carry-over and clear staff routing in the compact room concept.

Task

In the WC area on the ground floor, a floor-level personnel hygiene station was to be realised to hygienically secure the personnel route from the employee WC/toilet areas back towards production. The existing room with a floor area of approx. 22 m² had to be utilised in such a way that all the necessary hygiene steps could be integrated ergonomically, safely and without the possibility of bypassing.

The aim was to ensure complete hand and sole hygiene after each exit from the WC/toilet area. The process was not to be regulated solely by organisational guidelines, signage or personal responsibility, but by a technical enforced guidance system. Only when the planned hygiene processes have been carried out correctly is the further route towards the production line authorised.

Another focus was on preventing water carryover. Especially in the area after hand cleaning and before entering the sole cleaning area, dripping water and moisture can lead to increased cleaning effort, risk of slipping and additional soiling. The sluice therefore had to be planned in such a way that water, cleaning fluids and residual moisture remain within the hygiene area in as controlled a manner as possible.

As this airlock is an internal hygiene interface, the integration of a time recording or access control system did not play a role here. In contrast to the main airlock between the social/changing area and production, the focus was not on authorising access, but on consistently safeguarding the hygiene process after a visit to the toilet.

Key functions of the employee WC sluice

Forced hand hygiene

Hand hygiene is safeguarded by automatic 2-hand systems for soap and hand sanitiser. The process starts at the Soap-Control Highline. Both hands must be correctly inserted into the soap application wells at the same time. Only when the contactless sensor technology has detected both hands is the preset amount of soap applied and the electric turnstile released for the next process step.

Hand cleaning with two washing stations

To prevent peak times in the staff flow, the hand cleaning area was equipped with a sensor hand washing trough with two washing stations. This means that employees can be guided through the hygiene area without unnecessary waiting times, even when there is a high volume of people, for example after breaks or during shift changes.

Paperless hand drying

Hands are dried using Dyson Wash+Dry taps with Jetstream technology. This eliminates the need for disposable paper towels. This reduces waste, cuts refilling costs and avoids paper towels lying around or overfilled waste bins in the hygiene area.

Hand disinfection with turnstile release

A 2-hand disinfection machine with an integrated electric turnstile ensures that access to the production area is only authorised after hands have been properly disinfected. Both hands must be detected by sensors that cannot be outwitted and wetted using four full-cone jet nozzles.

Sole cleaning and disinfection

The Clean-Check 2000 L Highline automatic overflow sole cleaning machine cleans and disinfects shoe soles in parallel with hand disinfection. The system works with 1600 mm long rotating brush rollers and is integrated into the personnel route in such a way that the cleaning process cannot be bypassed in the direction of production.

Avoidance of water carry-over

The floor-level integration with stainless steel grating supports the targeted drainage of moisture and cleaning fluids. This reduces puddles of water and moisture carried over to neighbouring floor surfaces. This improves slip resistance and minimises cleaning effort.

Separate return route to the WC area

The route from the production area towards the WC/toilet area is via a separate electric turnstile. This is only authorised in the direction of the WC area. It is not possible to return to the production area via this turnstile. This prevents employees from bypassing the hygiene process.

Escape route with anti-panic function

A railing gate with an anti-panic locking system and door guard was integrated into the staff escape route concept. In the event of danger, the door can be opened in the direction of escape. At the same time, the monitored design with pre-alarm function prevents uncontrolled bypassing of the hygiene sluice during normal operation.

Personnel hygiene station for re-entry from the restroom area into the production area - Click on the images to enlarge them.

Project description and special features - Hygiene station restroom area

The floor-level employee WC sluice was designed as a compact, process-controlled hygiene solution for a room measuring approx. 22 m². With a room length of approx. 5.95 m and a width of approx. 3.70 m, all functional areas had to be arranged in such a way that the flow of staff is clearly organised and all hygiene requirements are reliably met at the same time.

The hygiene station is located at the transition from the staff WC/toilet areas towards the production line. It therefore forms a particularly sensitive internal hygiene interface. After using the toilet, hands and shoe soles must be treated in such a way that dirt and germs are carried over into the baked goods production area as far as possible.

This safeguard is particularly important in the bakery industry. Production areas with open products, flour dust, dough residues, damp cleaning zones and a high volume of personnel place high demands on personnel hygiene and routing. The WC sluice ensures that this transition is not regulated in an organisationally incidental manner, but is technically clear: the employee is guided through the process step by step.

1. internal hygiene sluice without access control system

In contrast to the main sluice, no RFID-based access control system has been integrated into the toilet sluice. This has been deliberately designed as the sluice is located within the company and does not regulate basic access to the production area.

The focus here is on hygiene protection after leaving the WC/toilet area. The decisive factor is not which authorised employee enters the airlock, but that every employee goes through the same defined hygiene process before re-entering the production area.

This keeps the technical solution lean, practical and tailored to the actual task: hygienic process reliability without unnecessary access control technology at a point where it is not required for operational reasons.

2. forced soap application via Soap-Control Highline

The hygiene process begins at the Soap-Control Highline automatic 2-hand soap dispenser. The employee guides both hands into the soap application chutes at the same time. The non-contact sensor technology checks whether both hands are positioned correctly.

Only after both hands have been successfully detected is the preset amount of soap applied to both palms. At the same time, the electric, vandal-proof turnstile is released for the next step in the personal hygiene process.

This technical forced guidance prevents the hand hygiene process from being carried out only partially or not at all. This is particularly important after leaving the toilet area: hand cleaning is not left to chance, but is secured as an integral part of the staff route.

3. hand cleaning with sensor hand wash trough and two wash stations

After the soap has been applied, hands are cleaned at a sensor-operated hand washing trough with two washing stations. The equipment with two washing positions was chosen to maintain the flow of personnel even during peak times.

In bakery businesses, such peaks often occur at the start of shifts, after breaks or when several employees leave the toilet areas at the same time. A single wash area could quickly become a bottleneck here. Two wash stations equalise the process and support a speedy, rule-compliant passage through the sluice.

The touchless sensor operation reduces contact points and is suitable for a hygienically sensitive environment in which fittings, surfaces and operating points should be used with as little contact as possible.

Industry-specific benefit: In the bakery industry, where flour dust is a potential source of contamination, the touchless washing process significantly reduces the risk of cross-contamination from contact surfaces.

4. paperless hand drying with Dyson Wash+Dry taps

After washing, hands are dried using Dyson Wash+Dry taps with Jetstream technology. This means that washing and drying takes place directly at the washing station, without employees having to switch to a separate paper towel dispenser or waste bin with dripping wet hands.

This is an important advantage, especially with regard to water carryover. The shorter the walk with wet hands, the lower the risk of dripping water getting onto walkways, stainless steel grates or neighbouring floor areas.

At the same time, paperless hand drying supports the company's environmental management. Disposable paper towels are no longer required, which reduces the amount of waste, refilling costs and disposal logistics. This is very practical in day-to-day production: less consumables, fewer paper towels lying around, less cleaning and inspection work.

5. control release of the downstream hygiene steps

Once hand cleaning and drying have been completed, the control system reports the release to the downstream hygiene modules. These include the automatic overflow sole cleaner and the 2-hand disinfection machine with integrated electric turnstile.

The individual functional areas are therefore not loosely arranged one behind the other, but linked to each other in terms of process technology. The employee can only go through the process in the intended sequence. Only when one step has been completed is the next released.

This logic makes the airlock an unavoidable hygiene facility. It guides staff intuitively through the process and ensures that hand and sole hygiene is completed before entering the production area.

6. hand disinfection with foolproof 2-hand recognition

In the further course of the airlock, hand disinfection is carried out using a 2-hand disinfection machine with an integrated electric turnstile. The design is deliberately analogue to the soap application: Both hands must be correctly inserted into the sensor area at the same time.

The foolproof sensors detect the correct position of both hands. Only then does wetting take place via four full-cone jet nozzles. These ensure that the disinfectant is applied to both hands.

The electric turnstile in the direction of production is only released once hand sanitisation has been successfully completed. This prevents employees from entering production-related areas directly or incompletely sanitised after using the toilet.

7. sole cleaning and disinfection with Clean-Check 2000 L Highline

At the same time as hand disinfection, the soles of shoes are cleaned and disinfected in the lower area of the airlock. An automatic overflow sole cleaning machine of the type Clean-Check 2000 L Highline was integrated for this purpose.

The soles are mechanically cleaned using 1600 mm long rotating brush rollers and treated with a cleaning and disinfectant medium. The process is integrated into the production route and cannot be bypassed.

This step is particularly relevant for the production of baked goods. Shoe soles can carry moisture, dirt particles, flour residues or other contaminants from transport and sanitary areas. Forced sole cleaning reduces the risk of dirt and germs being carried over and helps to hygienically protect sensitive production areas.

At the same time, the cleaning effort in neighbouring operating areas is reduced. If contamination is already reduced at the hygiene sluice, subsequent walkways, transition zones and floor areas close to production remain cleaner.

Hygiene plus for bakeries:
The combination of hand sanitising and sole cleaning in a positively driven process stage protects sensitive production areas and supports a permanently clean route in thebakery.

8. separate return route from production towards the WC/toilet area

The return route from production to the WC/toilet area is via a separate electric turnstile. This turnstile is only authorised in the direction of the WC area.

Use in the opposite direction, i.e. from the WC area back towards the production area, is not possible via this separate turnstile. This means that the personal hygiene process cannot be shortened or bypassed.

Anyone wishing to return from the WC/toilet area to the production area must go through the complete hygiene process of soap application, hand washing, hand drying, hand disinfection and sole cleaning and disinfection.

Result:
The separate routing prevents incorrect routes and creates clear conditions: out towards the WC area via the separate turnstile, back towards production exclusively via the complete hygiene sluice.

9. floor-level integration, stainless steel gratings and slip resistance

The Clean-Check 2000 L Highline automatic overflow sole cleaning machine with integrated 2-hand disinfection machine and electric turnstile was integrated into the floor at ground level.

The machine is equipped with stainless steel gratings in the step area. This floor-level design ensures a slip-resistant area when entering and exiting the sole cleaning area - without unnecessary tripping hazards.

10. avoidance of water carry-over in the floor area

Particular attention was paid to preventing water carry-over. Moisture can otherwise get onto the floor and be carried into neighbouring areas, particularly in the transition between the hand washing channel and the sole cleaning machine.

The combination of Dyson Wash+Dry taps, floor-level integration, stainless steel grating and clearly routed personnel routes reduces this risk. Dripping water after manual cleaning is minimised, while moisture from the sole cleaning area remains specifically within the designated zone.

This point is particularly important for a bakery. Moisture on walkways can combine with flour dust or dry product particles and cause additional soiling. Controlled drainage and limitation of water in the airlock area therefore not only reduces the risk of slipping, but also the ongoing cleaning effort.

Benefits for bakery operations:
Less water carryover means cleaner walkways, better slip resistance and less cleaning work in neighbouring production and traffic areas.

11. safety features and escape route in accordance with ASR A2.3

A railing gate with an anti-panic locking system and door guard was integrated into the personnel route concept. This door combines the requirements for an unavoidable hygiene sluice with the specifications for a safe escape route.

During normal operation, the railing prevents the hygiene process from being bypassed. In the event of danger, the railing gate can be opened in the direction of escape. The door guard monitors the use of the door and can trigger a pre-alarm function when activated.

The design of the escape route is based on the German workplace regulation ASR A2.3. The required minimum width is based on the maximum number of people who need to use the escape route if necessary.

It is important that the functions are clearly separated: The hygiene station cannot be bypassed during normal operation. At the same time, the hygiene process must never become an obstacle in an emergency. This is precisely why the escape door with anti-panic function was integrated into the overall concept.

Summary:
The railing door with anti-panic locking and door guard ensures controlled routing in everyday life and a safe escape route in the event of danger.

12. high-quality control technology and user-friendly process control

The hygiene sluice is controlled by a harmonised control technology that links all relevant functional areas. Soap application, turnstile release, hand cleaning, hand drying, hand disinfection and sole cleaning are logically interlinked.

The employee is thus guided intuitively through the hygiene process. Each release only takes place once the previous step has been carried out correctly. The hygiene station (sluice) therefore supports consistent process quality, regardless of the time of day, staffing levels or routine in everyday working life.

This process control is a significant advantage for companies in the bakery industry. With many daily staff movements, shift changes and break times, the hygiene flow must function reliably without unnecessarily slowing down the production flow. The combination of clear routing, automated hygiene steps and robust control technology ensures that hygiene does not become a bottleneck, but a firmly integrated part of the operating process.

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Reference Project: Frischbäck - Ground Floor Restroom Access