Could Your Computer Workstation Be Making You sick?
A large part of the world spends a huge chunk of their day parked in front of a computer desk. Have you ever wondered what might be covering the surfaces around you that might be impacting your health?
Recent studies show that there are significant risks associated with the modern office computer desk and surrounding items. Not only must we consider the ergonomics of our office setup, we must also consider the multitude of pathogenic organisms that are on the surfaces we come into contact with all day long.
Recent investigation shows that the surfaces we touch on the job, including our desk, keyboard and phone are more hazardous to our health than the surfaces inside a bathroom.
Research by experts at the University of Arizona showed that the surface of the desk we sit in front of each day has hundreds more bacteria per unit of surface area than the seat of the office toilet seat!
Shocking as this may sound, it is a reality that needs to be addressed. Considering that 47% percent of people eat at their desks (The Tork Report survey, 2012) it is clear that we need to make some changes. And not only bacteria, but also viruses, coat the area many of us inhabit during our most productive hours.
There are important measures that we can take that will reduce our chance of being infected by our work station. Certain actions you can take include:
Wash hands frequently while on the job. While the use of soap is important, water and friction alone remove a great deal of the bacteria load from our hands.
Resist the urge to touch your face with your hands while at work. Obviously this is easier said than done, since the touching of one's face is often a habitual act. Nevertheless, make a conscious effort to avoid touching your face, especially with the fingertips, which contain an extremely high load of bacteria.
If you must touch your face, use a fresh Kleenex to do so, and dispose of the Kleenex properly afterwards. If a Kleenex is not available and an itch is simply driving you crazy, a good "second line" or "last ditch" alternative is to use the side of your arm, instead of your hands, to gently rub your face.
There are far fewer bacteria on the upper parts of your arms than there are on your fingertips.
Use disinfectant wipes to clean the surfaces of your desk frequently. Bleach is an excellent disinfectant, so pre-made wipes with bleach, such as those produced by The Clorox company, are an excellent choice.
When buying a small corner computer desk, it might be advisable to purchase one with a non-porous surface, so that you can achieve a more effective disinfection with wipes.
Porous surfaces hold bacteria and viruses more tenaciously, and are therefore more difficult to disinfect. In addition, some delicate surfaces might be damaged by continual exposure to beach from wipes.
As "super bugs" become more common, taking precautions to avoid infection becomes dramatically more important. A bacteria that may have given us a mild infection ten years ago may have mutated to the point where it is now almost impossible to kill that altered bacteria with conventional antibiotics.
And remember that viruses are not effected by antibiotics, so they can be extremely difficult to treat once they've taken hold. The best approach is to simply not give the bugs an entry into your system in the first place.
Since bacteria and viruses usually enter through the eyes, nose, and mouth, one can see why it is so important to avoid touching the face, and also to engage in frequent hand washing.
So remember the next time you sit down at your computer station to use common sense to reduce your risk of picking up unwanted bugs. Your computer desk is an important tool, and should be working for you, and not against you.
Don't let your computer desk get the upper hand.