Hand Wash Stations for Food Vendors and Crews in Louisville

Placing the station at the restroom exit

A station beside the restroom exit catches people as they leave, and keeps the wash point in the natural path rather than off to one side where few people will walk.

People wash where the basin is, and the basin is most useful as people come away from the toilet. A station at the exit of a unit block catches guests and workers on the way out. A station set away from the block is often ignored.

For food vendors the same logic keeps washing away from the cooking, and the station sits between the stall and the toilets.

Water in, waste out

A station needs water coming in and waste water going out, and the plan says how each is handled, since a station without a drain or a tank is a mess by the second hour.

Where the spot has a water connection and a drain, the station runs as a fixed installation for the booking. Where it does not, the station runs on its own supply and a holding tank that is emptied on a written schedule.

Waste water from a station is removed by the operator on the written schedule, and the Kentucky rules that apply to that waste are confirmed with the operator before the booking.

• Confirm the water supply at the spot
• Confirm the drain or the holding tank
• Schedule the waste removal
• Keep the water line clear of the walk

Stock through the peak

Soap, towels or dryers and the water supply have to hold through the peak, so stock is checked before the rush and again during it.

A station that runs out of soap or towels at lunchtime is the most common failure. A supervisor checks the stock before the peak and again during it, and tops up a low station before anyone reaches it.

The supplies are counted with the units in the plan, so the same supervisor covers both.

Cold weather and close-out

In cold weather the water line and the drain can freeze, so they are checked before the first use, and the station is drained and collected at close.

A station that will not run at the first food service is a problem the organiser must explain. The line and drain are checked before the crowd arrives, and the tank is kept off cold ground where it can.

At close the station is emptied, its water removed and the unit collected on the same visit, so nothing is left for the owner to clear.

Stock and the late-afternoon crowd

The late-afternoon crowd uses the stations more than the morning crowd does, so the last stock check of the day is set for three or four o'clock.

Food stalls and crews are busiest after the first hours of service. A supervisor checks soap and towels at the peak and again before the last hour, so the station is not dry when the busiest guests arrive.

The check is written on the schedule with a time, so it is not left to memory on a long day.

Water quality and the handwash supply

The water supplied to a handwash station is checked for clarity and taste before the station is used, and a supply that is cloudy or smells is reported and not used.

A station on a mains connection uses the water of the connection; a station on its own supply uses water the operator brings. Either way the water is checked on the first use and at each visit, and a supply that is not clear is replaced before the station is used.

The check is written on the visit sheet, so the organiser knows the water was looked at on each day of the event.