If Germs Had a Horror Movie, This Would Be Their Favourite Scene
It’s Friday the 13th.
The lights flicker.
The room is quiet.
Somewhere in the distance… a surface wasn’t wiped properly.
Cue ominous music.
While we’re busy knocking on wood, avoiding ladders, and joking about bad luck, there’s something far scarier happening behind the scenes — germs are thriving. Not because of some evil entity but because of habits. Tiny, boring, everyday habits that germs absolutely love and thrive in.
Welcome to the horror film your infection control practices don’t want to star in.
Grab your popcorn and the disinfectant.
Scene 1: The Dirty Surface
(Cue slow camera pan and an ominous violin.)
The camera glides across a workbench that looks clean. Suspiciously clean.
The last client left an hour ago and it looks like someone gave it a quick once-over. Maybe a spray. Maybe a wipe. Maybe just…the last hope of a brush off.
But then we cut to the close-up.
Plot twist: Germs love “almost clean.”
This is the part of the movie where the audience starts yelling at the screen.
“DON’T TOUCH THAT.”
“WHY ARE YOU TOUCHING THAT?”
“WHO WIPED THAT LAST?”
High-touch surfaces are the unsung villains of infection control horror stories.
The Chairs, benches., trays, door handles and light switches. All the places everyone touches and no one thinks about, until something goes wrong.
And here’s the truly terrifying bit:
If a surface isn’t disinfected between every single client, germs don’t just survive… they settle in. They unpack to stay and they invite friends.
Why this is genuinely scary
Contaminated surfaces are one of the fastest ways infections spread in workplaces. All it takes is one missed wipe and suddenly you’re sharing more than just good vibes.
The lesson in this horror movie:
If you wouldn’t sit through a slasher film without checking behind the door, don’t start a new client without wiping down your surfaces.
Clean doesn’t mean “looks fine.” Clean means properly disinfected.
Are you ready for the next one!
Scene 2: Forgotten Hand Hygiene
(The jump scare. Everyone screams.)
A practitioner removes gloves his gloves, he answers a phone, proceeds to then touch a door handle,
adjusts a chair and then goes straight back to work.
The audience gasps in unison.
Mr Germ (the bad guy): “Excellent choice.”
This is where the tension spikes because everyone knows hand hygiene matters but this is also where things slip when the day gets busy, the phone won’t stop ringing and the client is already seated.
Hands are the main characters of your workplace. They touch everything and the germs know it.
Why this is scary (and way too common)
Hand hygiene is the first line of defence and the one most often skipped when we think “I’ll just do this quickly.”
Spoiler alert: germs don’t care how quick it is and while hand sanitiser is great, it’s not a magic spell. It doesn’t replace proper handwashing, especially when hands are visibly dirty or after certain tasks.
Friday the 13th rule:
Handwashing isn’t optional.
Hand sanitiser isn’t witchcraft.
Soap and water are the real final boss protection.
Wash before and after every client, yes every time. No dramatic shortcuts.
Scene 3: The Shared Tool
(Classic horror mistake. You can feel it coming.)
Someone says the most cursed phrase in any horror film: “It’ll be fine just this once.”
Spoiler alert it is never fine.
A reusable tool that is not properly cleaned, not packaged, not sterilised and then gets reused….
Cue the evil laughter and thunder crashes.
Somewhere, an infection control auditor senses a disturbance in the force.
The evil germs rub their tiny hands together. This is the moment where the villain gets their power back.
Why this is nightmare fuel
Reusable tools must be:
- Thoroughly cleaned
- Correctly packaged
- Properly sterilised
- After every single use!
Not “most of the time.”
Not “when we get a chance.”
Not “it looks clean enough.”
Shortcuts here don’t save time, they create risk. For your clients, your staff and your business.
Tip to survive the Horror:
Infection control shortcuts are how the villain always comes back in the sequel and spoiler the sequel is never better, its almost always definitely worse!
Scene 4: The Forgotten Waste Bin
(Slow burn terror. You feel uneasy but can’t explain why.)
The sharps container is overfilled, the clinical waste isn’t separated properly and that one bin liner is…well, questionable.
No one notices, until it’s too late and this my friends is how chaos spreads.
Waste management doesn’t get the dramatic music it deserves, but make no mistake this is one of the most common places things go wrong.
Why it actually matters
Improper waste disposal puts everyone at risk:
- Practitioners
- Clients
- Cleaners
- Anyone who comes near that bin
And your health department inspectors? They always notice, ALWAYS.
So the Friday the 13th decent thing to do is:
If it looks scary, it probably is. Dispose of waste properly and on time, in a low-risk way.
No overflowing containers, no “just one more will fit and no mystery bags!
Final Scene: The Plot Twist
(The lights come back on.)
Lets set the scene:
The studio is clean your hands are washed, tools are sterilised, waste is disposed of correctly and your training is up to date.
SPOILER: The germs don’t survive this ending.
Plot twist: You were the hero the whole time.
Infection control isn’t about fear, it’s about habits. Quiet, consistent, unglamorous habits that protect everyone in the room.
No more jump scares, no sequels and unfortunately no horror soundtrack. Just a workplace that runs safely, smoothly, and confidently.
Ready to Rewrite your Ending?
This Friday the 13th, don’t leave your infection control to chance or superstition.
Whether you spotted a few scary moments in this story or breezed through like a seasoned horror survivor, there’s always room to sharpen your skills.
Because germs don’t take days off and luck isn’t a safety strategy.
Let EZE Training help!
For a limited time,
Get 30% off our Infection Control Course
CLICK HERE
and make sure your workplace never stars in a horror story.
No masks, no monsters, no bad endings.
Just best practice and a very boring movie with no germs
- Jaz Anna
