Handsfree Dispenser

     For those of us who work in an area that is shared by other workers, here is some advice on how to avoid germs that might cause illness. People who are sick should stay home, but sometimes they are just coming down with something and do not realize it. Even healthy people can contaminate a work area with their hands. A lot of cross-contamination happens when individuals pickup germs from objects and then touch other objects with unsanitary hands.

     Common places where germs thrive in the workplace are phones, elevator buttons, door knobs, restrooms, copy and fax machines, pens and pencils, and keyboards. Tests were conducted  to see how contaminated these different objects were.  By far, shared keyboards harbored more disease-causing germs than a toilet seat. Hard to believe, but true.  Different users add their own variety of microbes to the keys and usually the keyboards are not sanitized.

     Waterproof keyboards are available.  Some can even be put through a dishwasher cycle to clean (but not on the heat cycle).  Disinfectants can be used on them also, either disinfectant wipes or spray. A waterproof mouse that can be sanitized protects the user even further. Hospitals, schools, industrial offices, and other places could really prevent  some sick days by installing these keyboards.

     You would not knowingly dip your hands into a bowl of germs.  Yuck!!  Well using a shared keyboard has almost the same effect, your fingers that touch the keyboard are contaminated.  Then whatever you touch with those unclean hands gets contaminated with microbes.

     That old saying “What you don’t see won’t hurt you”, does not apply here.  I read a study that found that there were more germs on a community keyboard than on a toilet seat. Egads!!  Don’t stop typing, there are remidies for the situation.

      First and foremost there are washable keyboards available.  They are immersable so that you can wash them completely. You don’t have to soap them up everyday.  In between washings you can clean the waterproof keyboard with a disinfectant wipe.  This doesn’t get in all those cracks like washing does but will reach the top surfaces.

     With the flu season upon us it pays to invest in a washable keyboard and cut down the sick days at work.

    Those of us who go to work are exposed to germs in the workplace. There are many areas in that environment that are actually teeming with microbes.  Some of these disease-causing germs can be flu viruses.  With Swine flu presenting a health threat, it is incumbent upon us to try to avoid those viruses.

    Dr. Charles Gerba, aka, “Dr. Germ” has tested various objects that are in workplaces.  After 7000 samples that he gathered around the country, he discovered that workplace objects had more germs on them then on toilet seats. It is estimated that 63 Billion dollars are lost each year due to absent employees who are sick.

    If you go to a workplace, be aware of the objects that harbor the most germs. They are in no special order:  elevator buttons, telephones, desks, keyboards, coffee makers, door handles, paper communications, and typewriters.  There are more.

     Washable keyboards can be disinfected. Disinfectant wipes can be used on hard objects. Hand sanitizers should be available and of course proper handwashing (20 seconds) are all good defenses against the flu. If one does get the flu, one should stay home and recuperate.

     When workers have to stay home because of illness, it costs the employer money. When workers who are ill come to work anyway, they spread the germs that caused them to be sick. They touch doorknobs or handles, pens and pencils, phones, keyboards, and armrests.  If they sneeze or cough into their hands and droplets reach desktops, the workplace area is contaminated. Keyboards especially have been shown to harbor more bacteria than a toilet seat.    This ought to be enough reason to motivate management to do the following:

    Mount a hand sanitizer dispenser in a convenient location for workers.

    Provide disinfectant wipes that can be used to clean surfaces like phones etc.

    Switch to keyboards that can be disinfected and washed. Wise investment

    Automatic devices like towel dispensers improve restroom hygiene

    Hands free restroom door openers are the last link to keeping germs away

                                                  STAY HEALTHY

     As we go about our daily business we are unaware of the millions of germs we are in contact with.  Many of them are harmless, but on the other hand some of these organisms can cause illness.  It is impossible to avoid them all.  The best we can do is to wipe objects with a disinfectant wipe where it is possible, and to wash our hands after being in public, before touching someone, and before touching food. You don’t have to be a germaphobe to be safe.

     This is a ( incomplete) list of common germ carriers:    

     Purses, gym bags, diaper bags, credit and ATM cards, keys, cell phones, shopping carts, steering wheels, keyboards and a mouse, door knobs and light switches. The list could go on but these are the most frequent sources of germs. Travelling and staying in hospitals are a different story . DON’T FORGET TO WASH YOUR HANDS!                                  

Wash Your Hands

According to Charles Gerba, a microbiologist, “Desks are really bacteria cafeterias”. It’s hard to believe that work stations can harbor 400 times the number of microbes than restrooms.  “The superhighways for bacteria  are hands and the surfaces we touch”, says Professor Sally Bloomfield, another microbiologist. There are washable, waterproof keyboards available.  They can be disinfected  and protect the user.