Hand Washing

[Owl62]

Handwashing. Another opportunity to manage a process.

 

A Scout is CLEAN. It's right there in the Scout Law.

 

So it should be taught, coached, encouraged, etc. And Scout leaders and Scouters should monitor it an ensure it happens. Handwashing is a recognized first line defense against the spread of disease whether at camp, traveling, home, school, or work.

 

Just because we are at camp is not an excuse (under most circomstances) to be dirty. Under most situation, hand washing is simple and easy.

 

Most camps have running water. We should encourage its use.

All Scouts, Scouters, and units should take soap to camp. All of our Scouts are required to have a little personal hygiene kit including soap, toothbrush and toothpaste as a minimum. Also we always have some liquid hand soap with us.

 

An adult always monitors food preparation to ensure those preparing and handling food (both Scouts and Scouters) practice good basic hand hygiene.

 

We encourage all to wash upon waking, before handing, preparing or eating food, and after using the latrine, and before turning in.

 

One of those little solar camp shower bags makes a great water source for handwashing. We use one and keep a bottle of liquid hand soap with it. It is lightweight, can be used most anywhere and is inexpensive.

 

I also carry and enourage others to carry a little bottle of hand sanitizer for thos cases where water for handwashing in not readily available. The alcohol based types also make a good emergency fire starter.

 

[dsteele]

I can understand and appreciate the hand washing for the preperation and eating of food. That makes sense to me given what one may have touched in the intervening period.

 

However, Eamonn's post initially referred to washing hands after using the bathroom. That doesn't make sense to me and frankly, I consider it a waste of water. Why wash your hands after holding the cleanest part of your body?

 

I once went to the rest room and walked by my high school civics teacher who was washing his hands. He looked at me from the mirror and said, "Don't you wash your hands after you pee?"

 

I said, "I don't know about you, but I don't pee on my hands."

 

Unc.

[boleta]

You wash your hands to reduce the bacterial count to a level that your body can handle. Even surgical preps do not eliminate all of the bacteria.

But the real question is- how much do we get involved or intervene. You can set the example by doing all you want. You will be amazed if you ask them how many boys have not brushed their teeth even once during a weeklong summer camp. Some will not even bring a brush. Having been reprimanded by the SM for being too involved, I no longer get all of the guys to the water trough at 9 pm for the troop "brush."

[Herms]

Great post Unc, I chuckled for ten minutes!

[scoutldr]

Eammon said, "that he was shocked at the number of Scouts who use the bathroom and leave without washing their hands."

 

I work at a medical facility. It is even more shocking to see medical personnel not washing after toileting.

 

While "holding the cleanest part of your body" may not be the biggest concern, the fecal-oral route is a widespread cause of gastro-intestinal illness from E-coli contamination and more serious diseases such as Hepatitis A. One of our recent Lt. Governors contracted adult polio from changing his son's diaper, who had just had a polio vaccination. I, for one, do not want my food or utensils handled by waiters who never wash their hands. Besides, it's just gross.(This message has been edited by scoutldr)

[bluegoose]

I saw this topic and couldn't resist adding my thoughts. This past summer (and '01) at the camp that I work at we had an outbreak (50+ sick people) of a 'Norwalk Type' virus. For those of you who aren't aware of what Norwalk is, it is a category of viruses. They are passed through contact, and result in vomiting, diahrrea, headache, and fever. They usually last anywhere from 12-48 hours, depending on the strain. We(the medical staff) believe that the virus was spread by sub-standard hand washing, because all of the medical staff were on hand that night, and none of us got sick, and we wore gloves and washed our hands with anti-bacterial soap often. The moral of the story is: WASH YOUR HANDS, OFTEN!!! and encourage scouts to do the same (lead by example) Thanks.

[anarchist]

As the chief cook and bottle washer for the adult kitchen (and slowing steping back as I train the newer dads), we feel camp and kitchen "washing" is important for every one. All of the Summer camps we vist have hot and cold water at the latrines and before mess call we have a troop trek to the 'wash station'...no wash... no eat!

 

Most if not nearly all of our troop campouts are "waterless" even the drive/truck-in sites.

We set up a wash station as well as a 'flag pole' at each location. On "drive-ins" we carry two gallons of water per scout for cleaning, cooking and drinking. (seems to work). The wash station is a wine bladder from a cheap box of wine or a similar bladder purchased online. ( I prefer the former method)...

 

Bladder is filled, 'spout' replaced and a tripod is lashed together...the bladder is placed in two or three 'nested' plastic grocery bags (form of recycling) with the spout side down and suspended from the tripod and the spout is pulled through a small tear in the bottoms of the plastic bags...bladders w/spout allow good use of water, less waste and the soap (prefer liquid pump)is hung by a cord for all to use.

 

Scouts returning from the latrine are 'encouraged' to wash. Before cooking it is simply a required part of meal preparation and cooks make a big show of hand cleaning to avoid a SPL visit. Each patrol 'kichen' has waterless hand sanitizer for 'in between' hand cleaning and bleach, lysol or boiling water is used for after meal clean-up. SPL then requires all patrols to make a station call before "sitting table"... neat, clean and someone gets a camp craft/gadget sign off at each camp!

 

On hike-ins the bladder weighs nothing, and a half capful of bleach brings down the 'bug' count in stream, lake or hand pump water and the soap does the rest (we tried bolling water but getting the boys to keep their hands 'in' for the full three minutes proved difficult)...and for the LNTers we do not cut down trees we gently lash the bladder to a tree or branch....or older slow moving ASM...

 

hope this helps any newbies looking for non-contoversial forum info!

[OldGreyEagle]

Anarchist

"...As the chief cook and bottle washer for the adult kitchen (and slowing steping back as I train the newer dads), we feel camp and kitchen "washing" is important for every one...."

 

I am sure it was just a slip of the pen/fingers but rather than "newer dads" I am sure you meant younger scouts and the PLC, right?

 

 

 

 

[Spiney Norman]

Overheard at this last weekends campout:

[Spiney Norman]

Overheard at this last weekends campout:

ASPL to Tenderfoot: NO! Go and wash your hands with soap and water, using that (hand sanitizer) just makes clean dirt!

 

Sometimes they hear us.

Ken

[jackmessick]

I would like to speak up for that Purell stuff, and stuff like it. In my work, I have been sent to camps for forest fires at a wildfire incident. They basically operate a dining hall facility, and for the last 6 years or so, they have made washing stations filled with Purell mandatory in the camp area. Usually it is the first part of the serving line for meals. Even the portable latrines must have a small version of the wash station with this Purell anti-bacterial stuff.

 

The end result: the usual "camp crud" virus that appeared 4 to 6 days into the incident no longer happened. That means more fire fighters available for work rather than under the care of the medical officer for a cold/sore throat/cough/fever.

 

I should think that if it works for wildland firefighters, it should work for Scouts.

 

jack messick

[jackmessick]

I would like to speak up for that Purell stuff, and stuff like it. In my work, I have been sent to camps for forest fires at a wildfire incident. They basically operate a dining hall facility, and for the last 6 years or so, they have made washing stations filled with Purell mandatory in the camp area. Usually it is the first part of the serving line for meals. Even the portable latrines must have a small version of the wash station with this Purell anti-bacterial stuff.

 

The end result: the usual "camp crud" virus that appeared 4 to 6 days into the incident no longer happened. That means more fire fighters available for work rather than under the care of the medical officer for a cold/sore throat/cough/fever.

 

I should think that if it works for wildland firefighters, it should work for Scouts.

 

jack messick

[Eamonn]

"camp crud" virus.

When I was a young PL, Camp Crud was the potluck stew we cooked at the tail end of a two week summer camp. We have found that if you ate it, 40 years later it makes your hair turn white or gray. If you ate a lot of it you go bald.

Eamonn.

[Bob58]

Hey Unc,

 

I heard that one years ago as a Harvard - Yale joke -- I've been walking out of rest rooms w/out washing my jands for thirty years hoping that someone would stop me so that I could use the line.(Just kidding)

 

Does anyone want to spin off Dish Washing in camp? As I recall failure to rinse well can lead to frequest "trots" to the latrine due to soap residue.

 

Proabably the wrong place to say, "Gee, I love this scouting stuff!"

 

Bob

[dsteele]

Bob:

 

Did you hear the one about the professor who left Harvard and went to teach at Yale?

 

He improved the quality of both schools.

 

Unc.