by Shane Henson — September 9, 2011—Facilities personnel who have been working hard to safeguard employees’ health at work through cleaning various regularly used surfaces may be missing a spot—workers’ desks. A University of Arizona study found the average desktop has 100 times more bacteria than a kitchen table and 400 times more than the average toilet seat.
The University of Arizona study is even more disturbing when one considers the findings of a new survey by the American Dietetic Association (ADA) and ConAgra Foods’ Home Food Safety program,. The survey found a majority of Americans continue to eat lunch (62%) and snack throughout the day (50%) at their desks, while 27% typically find breakfast the first thing on their desktop to-do list. Late nights at the office even leave a small percentage (4%) dining at their desktop for dinner.
While desktop dining may result in workers getting more accomplished, it may also be causing them to log additional sick days, as desktops hide bacteria that can lead to foodborne illness, warns ADA Spokesperson Toby Smithson.
To help ensure workers’ good health and make the workplace cleaner in general, facilities personnel may consider asking all employees to do the following:
- Wash their hands with soap and warm water before and after handling food at work;
- Clean their desktop and other surfaces before they prepare or eat food on them;
- Keep their desk stocked with moist towelettes or hand sanitizer for those times when they can’t get to the sink; and
- Clean their keyboard, mouse, telephone and other frequently-used desk items daily or at least once a week.
- Clean their desktop and other surfaces before they prepare or eat food on them;
For more tips on office cleanliness and food safety visit Home Food Safety’s Desktop Dining page.
