Do Germ-Free Office Products Really Work?
Posted May 28, 2008 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
- Sometimes it feels like office equipment is a bio-hazard.
While your co-workers are sneezing and coughing just a few feet away, you know the recycled air and shared technology ooze with their germs. But are you really at an increased risk for sickness being in such an enclosed space?
Most studies tell us our office space is dirtier than the bathroom, and our desks, phones, keyboards, and computer mice can act as incubators for germs. Common numbers suggest a toilet seat has about 49 germs per square inch, while a phone has more than 25,000 in the same area .
Worried desk-jockeys can now purchase equipment that can be placed in the dishwasher or washed with soap and water. But do they actually keep us from getting sick?
We decided to find out in our own backyard. Quick swabs of the CityNews newsroom were taken to Mount Sinai Hospital’s lab to see how the average keyboard scored on the dirty scale. The verdict? While the desktop and and BlackBerrys came back clean, the keyboard was a different story. “That’s fuzzy, yeah, so that’s a mould, which is the same stuff you get on bread,” says microbiologist Dr. Allison McGeer.
Still, she says with the amount of contagions found on office equipment, the washable stuff is rarely worth the cost. “Only in a hospital setting,” she assures.
But don’t worry: office workers are not really doomed to a life of colds and the flu. Reasearch also indicates we can drastically minimize the amount of illness-causing bacteria found in our work areas by following a few simple steps:
Wash your hands well: Ontario’s Public Health reports that the act of rubbing hands together, in addition to the lather of the soap, help to slough off oil and germs on your hands. Doing it properly will take care of most of the germs that could make you sick, and is considered the “single most effective way of avoiding the spread of communicable diseases.”
Wipe phones and doorknobs: Phones have by far the most germs of all office surfaces. Beyond this, they also tend to be some of the most shared items between office workers. Disinfecting these germy areas could rid you of a great deal of creatures in your desk space.
Contain your food and drink: They can harbour bacteria if spilled (even crumbs can act as “mini-ecosystems” according to occupationalhazards.com.). Also try not to eat at your desk, where you could be ingesting items from this grubby area.
Is disinfectant a good idea? There’s been some confusion as to whether or not anti-bacterial hand sanitizers are useful or healthy Ontario’s health recommendations state that these are only necessary if the water you’re washing in is unsafe or if there’s no water available at the time.
One of the biggest no-nos is snacking, storing food, and throwing food garbage away at or near your desk. Dr. Charles Gerba, a University of Arizona microbiologist says this gives bacteria something to snack on to stay alive longer on your otherwise uninhabitable office surfaces.
The bottom line: working for a living may make you sick. But it shouldn’t make you ill, too.Take a look at the nastiest places for germs in your workplace here.
For other ways to stop them from spreading click here.
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