Microbes on your mouse?

Microbes on your mouse?

Recently research studies have identified that there are more germs (bacteria/microbes), on your computer or office equipment, than on a toilet seat! Current studies say there are 5 times more germs on your keyboard than on a toilet seat and over 2000 microbes on your mouse! This is mostly due to office workers rarely cleaning or even wiping their keyboard/mouse. Alongside this many office workers eat their lunch at their desks. The resulting debris is an ideal food source for bacteria to thrive. Environmental Health at Salford University found that out of 300 keyboards, numerous ones had bacteria present such as staphylococcus, this is common bacteria, but can cause skin and more invasive infections. This reflects how dirty office computer equipment can be and is a timely reminder, as The Health Protection Agency  announce that the incidence of the winter vomiting bug, Norovirus, is higher than at this time last year.*

To combat the spread of these infections, 3 simple steps can be taken by you and your employees:

• Wash Hands – Researchers found that over half of men and over a quarter of women fail to wash their hand after using the toilet! If hands are washed thoroughly after eating and visiting the toilet, this will help minimise the spread of bacteria.

• Limit sharing of equipment This can be as effortless as always using your own pen, as no doubt we all see colleagues or ourselves chewing the end of a pen! Depending on the layout of your office building or type of work station, endeavour to only use your own mouse and keyboard.

• Office Cleaning Advice The company that provides your daily office cleaning services should be able to advise and provide the latest available products to ensure the optimum level of sanitation of your workstation. If you ask them, they could also carry out periodic specialised IT cleaning.

So make sure your office environment is as clean as possible, by putting in place policies your team are aware of and if we can help with office cleaning or a more thorough clean of your IT equipment, we would be happy to discuss this with you. Please contact us  or email us service@cleaningtechnique.co.uk

 

* HPA. December 2012.HPA update on seasonal Norovirus activity.