NTF’s complete guide to hygienic changing rooms & sluice entry zones

Understand the layout: The ‘dirty’ zone and the ‘clean’ zone

A well-designed changing room and sluice entry zone prevent contamination by ensuring a clear separation between dirty and clean zones. Employees arrive from outside environments carrying bacteria and contaminants on their clothing, shoes, and hands. Without a structured hygiene process, these contaminants can enter production areas, risking product safety and regulatory compliance.

By creating a controlled transition, employees first pass through the dirty zone, where they remove personal clothing and prepare for work. From there, they move into the clean zone, where the hygiene sluice ensures proper handwashing, footwear sanitization, and drying. Before entering production, employees must also pass through a guard, ensuring that hygiene procedures have been followed. Only after completing this process do they enter the production area, meeting strict hygiene standards.