Hygiene requirements at the checkout

for hygienic handling of the equipment, for the protection of the employees and for the prevention / reduction of the risk of infection.

Assessment of the RKI

The Robert Koch Institute notes that keyboards and touchscreens, which are often touched by hand, are a possible source of transmission of pathogens.¹

Since cash registers and keyboards in particular are touched by different people during the course of a working day, it is recommended that regular cleaning be included in the hygiene plan.

Real environment

It is recommended that employees are assigned their individual devices such as tablets, handhelds or POS terminals. These devices should be disinfected when changing shifts.

In restaurants or in retail stores, where several employees work at the same POS terminal, this must be disinfected more frequently at regular intervals.

Self-service terminals or kiosks are also to be disinfected more often or, if possible, replaced by existing staff.

What should be done?

In restaurants, guests should maintain a safety distance of at least 1.50 meters or there should be suitable partition walls between guests. Employees must wear a mouth-to-nose cover when in direct contact with guests.

The formation of queues on the sales area, especially in the checkout areas, must be ensured by taking appropriate technical or organizational precautions.

Surfaces of doors, door handles or other objects that are frequently touched by the public or staff must be cleaned several times a day²

Use of desinfectants

Routine disinfection of user interfaces such as tablets or touchscreens can damage them.

Therefore, the instructions of the respective manufacturer of disinfectants and touchscreens regarding effectiveness and material compatibility must be observed.

The use of special disinfectant wipes or durable screen protectors is recommended to avoid damage

Sources
1 https://www.rki.de/DE/Content/Infekt/Krankenhaushygiene/ThemenAZ/C/Computertastatur.html
2 https://www.hamburg.de/verordnung/#dreizehn

Products to follow hygiene requirements.