1. Athletes face constant risk for injury or infection.
The risk of injury during practice or games is obvious given the nature of sports, but infections aren’t always seen as being equally dangerous to an athlete’s season. Athletes can miss days or weeks with illnesses like the flu or mono, and more serious infections like MRSA have even ended careers.
2. Athletic facilities are perfect environments for germs to thrive.
Recent studies in a variety of fitness centers have found that the conditions present in weight rooms, locker rooms and showers offer bacteria and other pathogens an ideal environment to grow. Contaminated surfaces not only allow athletes to pick up germs, they also give bacteria a chance to survive longer – prolonging the chain of infection.
3. Illnesses are rarely isolated incidents.
Severe illnesses can occur at any time and spread quickly, due to increased physical contact and sharing equipment. Teammates are a closely knit group, and when they share personal items – from water bottles to towels – it can create a perfect environment for illnesses. Containing and preventing the spread of germs is essential to minimizing the spread of germs, even after an athlete gets sick.
4. Infection prevention is a team sport.
While athletic facilities are cleaned regularly, infection prevention often falls on the athletic training team. But most athletic trainers will agree that between treatments, practices, games, and administrative work, their bandwidth is already stretched pretty thin. Implementing a comprehensive solution that includes staff training and athlete education can help keep your facility safe from germs.
5. New technology is great, but it may not be enough.
Modern innovations like fogging or ozone machines may seem cutting-edge, but these systems are expensive and can usually only be used after-hours. Despite these innovations, the CDC recommends routine, targeted sanitizing of surfaces as the best method for eliminating germs on surfaces like weights, gym mats, and other equipment.
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6. Influenza is right under your nose.
The flu can run rampant through your facilities, especially during peak germ season. In fact, a recent study in athletic facilities found that 1 in 4 commonly touched surfaces, including door handles, water bottles and water cooler nozzles was contaminated with influenza.
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7. Just having the right products can have a major impact.
When the hand soap, hand sanitizer, and surface disinfectant products that make up The PURELL SOLUTION™ for Athletic Facilities were introduced and placed in the proper locations, a group of facilities found that the overall number of bacteria was reduced by 60%.
2 That’s a significant improvement over baseline, with almost no extra effort on the part of the facility and training staff.
8. Proper training takes it to another level.
The same group of facilities then implemented a comprehensive training program for staff and provided educational materials for athletes, and that 60% jumped to a 95% reduction in bacteria.
2 In other words, when everyone was made aware of the risk, and trained on infection prevention to some degree, athletes can be significantly safer from infection.
9. Resistant strains can be eliminated completely.
Along with the reduction in overall bacteria numbers, MRSA and VRE specifically were reduced from 13% to 0% in the facilities that participated.
2 And with the increased risk athletes face for MRSA, it’s tough to ignore these results.
10. Let us help!
The PURELL SOLUTION™ for Athletic Facilities is shown to reduce bacteria by 95%, and eliminate MRSA.
2 For a free site evaluation from a PURELL SOLUTION™ Facility Consultant that includes product recommendations, placement guides, and staff training, visit
GOJO.com/Athletics.