Seen any Bugs Lately?
 

I came across an interesting site recently that has published the result of a test in America to find out where bacteria lurk in an office.

The testing was carried out by a University in Oakland, California and 7,000 swabs were taken from offices situated in New York, San Franscisco, Tucson and Tampa.

I have decided to put this in the General Thread because it contains info that should be of interest to most of us that either sit in an office all day or enjoy their bacon butties while contributing to the Accyweb. Just how many germs do you generate - And where do they lurk? I will give the web site and answers in a couple of days.

Areas within the office were:

1. Desktop

2. Phone

3. Mouse

4. Keyboard

5. Microwave door handle

6. Elevator button

7. Photocopier start button

8. Photocopier surface

9. Toilet seat

10. Fax machine

11. Refrigerator handle

12. Water fountain handle

So where are all those nasty bugs hanging out? - and what is the safest area?

I have deleted "The Microwave" and "Desktop" from the poll as 10 is the maximum and those two are neither the best - or worst:p

You can have a multible choice of what you feel is the cleanest area - -

Re: Seen any Bugs Lately?
 

I went for the water fountain handle.

I won't say why, but I have a fairly disgusting imagination.;)

Re: Seen any Bugs Lately?
 

I think I read once somewhere that the toilet seat isn't as dirty as you'd think. All the other things are things that men who don't wash their hands after shaking touch next!!!! :(

Re: Seen any Bugs Lately?
 

Men?

Don't ladies pat their daisies, or shake their lettuce, or whatever polite euphemism you'd care to use?:D

Re: Seen any Bugs Lately?
 

Yes, but we wash our hands - you personally may be a very clean person but statistically there are more men than women that don't wash their hands.

Re: Seen any Bugs Lately?
 

I have gone for toilet seat as the cleanest place. I know that it sounds unlikely but I do have reasons. Toilets in most workplaces are regularly cleaned, including my workplace.
I reckon that computer keyboards are probably the dirtiest most bug laden places. Our infection control team did an audit recently which sounds very similar to the American study. Computer keyboards came out top of the grots. This was due to the users of the keyboards never cleaning them and because secretaries etc, have little or no patient contact within the hospital, they wash their hands a lot less than nursing staff..

Re: Seen any Bugs Lately?
 

The dirtiest has to be keyboards you should see staggeringman's you can get at least two meals out of it at any time hehe

Re: Seen any Bugs Lately?
 

me too... toilet seat.....

Re: Seen any Bugs Lately?
 

Cleanest photocopier surface. :)


Dirtiest elevator button. :(

Re: Seen any Bugs Lately?
 

Oops, didn't read it properly and voted for dirtiest instead of cleanest :eek: I would have also voted for toilet seat and keyboard as the dirtiest!!

Re: Seen any Bugs Lately?
 

Quite true Gayle, however, I think the toilet handle and doorknob still gets a brushing, as we touch these before exiting the loo to then wash our hands.

Not sure of all the nasty things we pick up from aforementioned, however, the top of the league must be the common cold of course. (leaving out hospital bugs here). Mind you that's a virus, not bacteria I suppose. :confused:

Re: Seen any Bugs Lately?
 

I bet the toilet seat is the cleanest and your mouse is the dirtiest as it’s always in contact with your sweaty hand.

Re: Seen any Bugs Lately?
 

But they weren't on the list ! :confused:

Re: Seen any Bugs Lately?
 

i went for photocopier surface - as long as no one is takin rude pics haha

Re: Seen any Bugs Lately?
 

Erm erm ah ah no well not that we would admit to. :p

Re: Seen any Bugs Lately?
 

Yeh, sorry, gone off on a tangent again. :o

Guess, they all pretty mucky really if not cleaned regularly .. go for keyboard I guess as a lot of staff eat at their desk,etc. Think I will go and give mine a wipe now >> it's black and doesn't show any muck so don't wipe it as much :eek:

Cleanest desktop, 'cause the cleaners always do this, well, if they can get under my piles of papers that is.

Oh no! just gone back to vote, forgot desktop deleted mmmm photo copier maybe, not everybody uses it.

Re: Seen any Bugs Lately?
 

Gayle, I look forward to the next time we meet when I will shake your hand in a very firm manner and leave you thinking all night, did he wash them or not?

Re: Seen any Bugs Lately?
 

I won't shake your hand - not if you're Dirty Harry!

Re: Seen any Bugs Lately?
 

Gayle's comments reminded me that a research team once tested one of those bowls of peanuts you get on the bar in posh pubs - they found 18 different types of urine! - due, of course, to people (and it has to be said, mainly men) not washing their hands after a pee.

Re: Seen any Bugs Lately?
 

I always do wash them that is after a pit stop. :D

Besides I can find more potentially dangerous bugs in my computer on a bad day. :(

Re: Seen any Bugs Lately?
 

this whole post is making me go bleeeeeee!!

...but the thing about the peanuts is true though, that's why I never eat the free stuff on the bar in pubs!

I voted 'toilet seat' as well...

Re: Seen any Bugs Lately?
 

Only peanuts that should be on any bar are monkey nuts in shells.
Toilet seat cos the cleaner cleans it, the rest probably never get cleaned.

Re: Seen any Bugs Lately?
 

I can't wait for the poll to close later this evening, I hope to be in the land of nod by then so here is the website.

The top five most germ-contaminated spots were (in order):

1. Phone
2. Desktop
3. Water fountain handle
4. Microwave door handle
5. Keyboard


CONCLUSIONS
- In offices, common areas that are cleaned and disinfected every day have fewer germs and bacteria than most desks. (On average, the area where you rest your hand on the desk has 10,000,000 bacteria.)

- Using disinfecting wipes can reduce the number of germs and bacteria on office surfaces by up to 99.9 percent.

- The average desktop has more bacteria than any surface tested in the bathroom. Toilet seats and photocopier surfaces were the least contaminated sites sampled in all offices.

Congrats to all those who opted for the loo seats - so why do I use tissue to lift the seat of a strange loo?:confused:

Re: Seen any Bugs Lately?
 

And why do I hover to have a pee........because my grandma scared the pips out of me with scary stories about what lurked on lavvy seats...that's why!