The Germiest Places in Your Office
When you think of the germiest places in your office, where do you think of? The restroom, or your desk? Think again.In the commercial cleaning and facility industry, a Kimberly-Clark Professional study conducted several years ago is one of the most commonly cited reports when it comes to emphasizing the importance of keeping your facility clean.This comprehensive report made waves in the industry after it revealed that areas of the workplace considered to have the highest levels of contamination include:
- 75% of break room sink faucet handles
- 48% of microwave door handles
- 27% of keyboards
- 26% of refrigerator door handles
- 23% of water fountain bottles
- 21% of vending machine buttons
The report defined high levels of contamination as spots with an ATP count of 300 or higher – ATP being a molecule typically found in most cell types, and commonly associated with high levels or bacteria and viruses – a quantifier frequently used in the industry to evaluate cleanliness.Kimberly Clark showed that while personal spaces such as desk were considered to be well taken care of when it came to cleanliness, common areas were often ignored, and as such were rife with germs.So, how do you combat these pesky germs? Encourage employees to keep hand sanitizer at their desks and to useit frequently. Keeping hand sanitizer in common areas so people are able to use it between meetings, or before and after they eat, will also benefit any facility. Additionally, disinfectant wipes are every business’ best friends when it comes to maintaining health and safety standards! Distributing these around your workplace and getting team members into the habit of using them regularly will help to curb the spread of germs.If you have any questions about how to keep your facility clean and safe, visit our website here to see how OpenWorks can improve your results.
