COVID Safety 101: Why You Need a Portable Sink for In-Person Events

The pandemic has opened our eyes to the fast spread of germs. New protocols no longer just apply to the workplace but to any public space, including in-person events. Although the pandemic shut down in-person events for over a year, the introduction of vaccines is slowly seeing life return to normal.

Of course, this is the new normal where precautions still include wearing masks, maintaining social distance and frequent hand washing. As a result, event planners need to make sure they are helping reduce risk. Here we explain why you need a portable sink for your in-person events.

Food Service

At events providing food and drink to attendees, proper hand washing protocols decrease the risk for the spread of Covid. Portable sinks are the easiest ways to ensure all staff are following proper hand washing procedures before serving food to the public. Even if the service is just drinks, the server and customers are sharing items and handing things back and forth. Therefore a portable sink allows staff to wash their hands using clean running water and soap and then using disposable paper towels to dry hands as recommended by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). You might consider having one sink behind the counter for staff and another where customers can wash their hands before eating.

Sales

Events where attendees can purchase items should also have hand washing stations. For the same reasons as above, the exchange of items between attendees and staff can contribute to the transmission of viruses. Proper portable sinks provide warm water and soap so staff can wash their hands following each interaction. You can also place portable sinks throughout the site to encourage hand washing by attendees.

Personal Special Events

Planning events such as weddings, anniversaries, sweet 16s and more, all call for a special venue and long guest lists. If you are an event planner for personal events, you need to ensure proper restrooms and portable sinks are provided. This is especially important for unusual venues such as farms, gardens, parks, etc. where sinks are not readily available. Having a few sinks where guests arrive, as well as near food and drink service stations, can reduce the spread. All areas where staff are touching and sharing items, including setting tables and serving food and drink, should also have portable sinks for hand washing stations.

Outdoor Concerts and Festivals

Outdoor festivals and concerts often have portable washrooms that don’t include sinks for proper hand washing. In the bathroom area, you should invest in portable sinks to allow people to wash their hands properly. Following the same protocols as you would for food service and sales, portable sinks provide added protection for both guests and staff.

Public Safety

According to the CDC, hand sanitizers don’t always work as they don’t clean the hands. If people have dirt, oil or sticky substances on their hands, using hand sanitizer is not good enough. Therefore it is important to provide proper hand washing stations such as portable sinks where people have access to clean running water and soap. In fact, hand sanitizer is only recommended when proper hand washing stations are unavailable. The CDC recommends the following process for washing hands:

• Wet hands with clean, running water and apply soap
• Lather hands by rubbing them together with the soap
• Lather the backs of hands, between fingers, and under nails
• Scrub hands for at least 20 seconds or hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice
• Rinse hands well under clean, running water
• Dry hands using a clean disposable towel or air dry them

As you can see the key is running water, which means an operational sink is a must. When putting public safety first, therefore, you should be using portable sinks at events where sinks are not available.

Your Reputation

The last thing any event planner needs right now is to be associated with a super spreader event. Your reputation hangs in the balance and with people focused on safety, you want to take every step to ensure you avoid spreading the virus at the events you plan. Having properly maintained portable sinks readily available throughout the site will help ensure both staff and attendees have access to proper hand washing to help reduce the risk of spreading the virus.

To learn more about using portable sinks for your event, call Ancaster Food Equipment at (855) 888-9644 or contact us here.