Switches for Hygiene

During 2020 and into 2021, everyone has become very aware of germs and hygiene. Some of our switches have been used for new applications to help reduce the transmission of germs in various places.

Ways to use switches for hygiene

The main goal when selecting a switch for hygiene reasons is to eliminate the touchpoints with the hands. There are two different ways to do this:

Non-contact infrared switches – using a switch with no contact at all is the best option for reducing the transmission of germs as no part of the user touches the switch at all. With our non-contact infrared switches, they detect movement from 75 to 100mm away to activate the switch.

Footswitches – another effective way of reducing the spread of germs is to use a footswitch. Usually, the user would be wearing shoes, so the switch doesn’t meet skin surfaces.

Switches for Hygiene Applications

Some of the applications which use our switches for hygiene reasons are;

Water Liquid Dispensing – this is a newer application for our switches to help reduce bacteria transmission. In water coolers, often the user will dispense the liquid with their hands or using their glass to activate the switch. Recently our footswitches have been used for this application. We have a range of multipedal switches which can be used for this so the user can select refrigerated or normal temperatures.

Public Toilet Flushes – this is an application which has been using our switches for many years and you may have seen yourself. Our infrared switches are used to activate the flush mechanism. The user simply moves their hand in front of the switch for it to activate.

Switches for Hygiene from Herga

Some specific products used for these applications from Herga are;

6461 Infrared Switch – these are available as either chrome plated or stainless steel. The standard switches can sense movement from 75mm – 100mm and we also have special options which can sense up to 500mm or as close as 25mm.

Multipedal footswitches – we have a range of multipedal footswitches which can be used within many different devices which can help reduce transmission of bacteria. These can be seen on our website. Contact us for more information to discuss a configuration to suit your application.

Other switches

Footswitches - we have a range of footswitches which can be used for hands-free operation.

Air switches – in applications where pneumatic switches are selected, we also have a range of compatible air switches

If you would like more information on any of the devices or applications discussed above, please contact us.

Please note that our switches are not a way of completely preventing the spread of bacteria and germs, these processes are to aid the reduction of the spread.