Stratford Company Creates Hand-Washing Timer For Workplaces

STRATFORD, CT — Stratford company Kitchen Brains has introduced a timer that reminds workers to wash their hands.

The Scrub Buddy timer is intended to support food service operators, food processing plants, health care facilities, labs, pharmacies and other businesses where frequent hand washing is required. The product was fast-tracked in record time by Kitchen Brains' engineering and manufacturing teams to help ensure safety in light of the coronavirus, according to a news release from the company. Scrub Buddy is built at Kitchen Brains' factory in Stratford.

The device alerts up to eight employees every 30 minutes, or at a preferred interval, to wash their hands. It then times each hand wash for 20 seconds, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and automatically resets for the next reminder. Employees receive audio and visual alerts, with the latter displayed on Scrub Buddy's LCD screen.

"I'm extremely proud of our amazing Kitchen Brains team for taking Scrub Buddy from concept to finished product in a matter of weeks," Kitchen Brains CEO Christian Koether said in the news release. "Covid-19 has changed the way many of our customers do business and we're pleased to be able to offer Scrub Buddy to them so they can effectively meet the new handwashing standards. For employees and customers alike, Scrub Buddy provides a level of comfort and safety that is so important in today's environment."

Scrub Buddy is durable, requires no installation and runs on four AA batteries. It can be mounted with magnetic backing to most metal surfaces or permanently affixed with an optional bracket. Additional information is available at kitchenbrains.com/scrub-buddytm.