If the sink or faucet is accidentally touched during hand washing, what should you do?

When hand washing, maintaining proper hygiene is crucial to preventing the spread of infection. If the sink or faucet is accidentally touched during the process, it is important to ensure that your hands remain clean.

The correct response is to repeat the wash from the beginning. This is necessary because touching the sink or faucet, which may harbor bacteria or other contaminants, compromises the effectiveness of the hand washing that has already taken place. By restarting the washing process, you ensure that any germs acquired from touching the faucet or sink are thoroughly removed, and you can complete the hand hygiene protocol effectively.

Turning off the faucet with a paper towel is a good practice at the end of a washing routine, but does not address the contamination that occurs from touching the faucet mid-wash. Stopping the wash also does not resolve the risk of cross-contamination. Reporting the incident to a supervisor may be a necessary step in certain situations, but it does not directly address the immediate need to recommence hand hygiene after an interruption. Therefore, to maintain the highest standard of cleanliness, starting the hand washing process anew is the required action.