Focus on hygiene at Wageningen University & Research

Personal hygiene greenhouse

Wageningen University & Research (WUR) is a world-renowned and respected research institute in the field of food and habitat. Good hygiene obviously plays an important role in the responsible execution of many research programmes in the greenhouses of WUR in Wageningen. That’s why a hygiene lock is essential here.

‘To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life’: that is the mission statement of Wageningen University & Research. Around 6,500 employees and 12,000 students from more than a hundred different nationalities work at WUR in the domain of healthy food and habitat. The power of WUR lies in the cooperation between specialised research institutes and the university. This enables scientific breakthroughs can be quickly translated into practice and into education.

Greenhouse complex

The greenhouse complex of WUR in Wageningen – called Radix Serre – consists of 9,000 m2 of glass and comprises around a hundred compartments, varying in size from 16 to 144 m2. Apart from standard greenhouses, there are air conditioned greenhouses and greenhouses for experimenting with special plant material, such as genetically modified organisms, quarantine organisms and plant pathogens (viruses, mould, nematodes and insects). Part of the greenhouse complex is open to visitors.

Lots of visits

WUR decided to have a hygiene lock from Elpress installed to increase the attention paid to hygiene in the greenhouse, without having to make big concessions to hospitality. In addition to its own employees, students and visitors, large groups of (high-ranking international) visitors and external maintenance companies also access the greenhouses. Apart from the hygiene lock, Elpress also supplied coin-operated lockers for visitors to store their personal effects in and hangers for them to hang their coats on.

Disinfecting hands and soles

The hygiene lock of WUR consists of the following elements:

  • Cleaning and disinfecting of the soles in a disinfection bath.
  • Hand disinfection with release of the turnstile.
  • The cleaning and disinfecting of the wheels of transport trolleys in a disinfection bath that is situated next to the disinfection bath before the sole cleaning area. The swing gate after this bath is released by a magnetic circuit after the hand disinfection.

When leaving the greenhouses, visitors pass through the same hygiene protocol again.

Built-in hygiene lock

The hygiene lock at WUR is sunk into the floor. This has two important advantages:

  • There is no risk of tripping for users when entering and leaving.
  • Thanks to the watertight seal around the edges, there is no chance for dirt to adhere to the underside of the lock, which negates the need to clean here.

No-obligation advice

Do you want to know what the options are for a hygiene lock that suits your greenhouse horticulture business? Then get in touch with us for a no-obligation, tailor-made recommendation.

Request personal advice

Jannes Voss