« How to Manage During Stressful Workplace Projects | Main | ‘24’: You Think You’re Having a Bad Day? »
January 19, 2007
The Fight Against Germs in the Workplace
As I’ve mentioned, in October my husband and I took a cruise. On entering the sumptuous dining room each night, we were greeted by crew members -- and a huge dispenser of antibacterial hand cleanser. Being a lifelong germphobe, I knew bacteria don’t take a vacation and used the dispenser nightly before I ate.
Cruise ships aren’t the only places you’ll see such germ-fighting tools. Items like antimicrobial paper and the washable mouse are becoming fixtures in many types of workplaces. Offices are germ-infested, and germs make people sick. Just consider the hacking and wheezing you can hear in just about every workplace this time of year. It’s just good business sense -- sick workers aren’t productive workers.
So if you’re a clean freak like me, here are some tips on keeping germs at bay in your little corner of the office:
- Antibacterial wipes are your friends. Use them regularly on your desk, phone and chair handles, especially after you’ve been sick, to avoid reinfecting yourself or others.
- If you’re spewing mucus, stay home. If that’s not happening, cancel as many meetings as possible and avoid shaking hands to avoid infecting others.
- If someone else is visibly sick, stay as far away as you can.
- Get a flu shot.
- This sounds like second-grade advice, but it bears repeating: Wash your hands after you use the bathroom.
And if you’re an employer who’s working toward a germ-unfriendly workplace, check out this article.
Share this post: Digg, StumbleUpon, del.icio.us, Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Posted by Christine on January 19, 2007 at 10:27 AM in The Daily Grind | Permalink | Comments (18) | TrackBack (0)
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d834515e7c69e200d8341ff38653ef
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference The Fight Against Germs in the Workplace:
Comments
One problem that constantly comes up with sickness in the workplace is that a lot of employers don't offer enough sick leave and some employees can't afford to take time off without pay. They have to choose between paying the rent or staying home and taking care of being sick. One way to take care of this issue is to offer employees sick time that they can use prior to the 90 day probation period. So as long as employers are unwilling to pay out sick time. I guess the whole world will have to put up with sickness at work.
Posted by: may sutton | Jan 30, 2007 7:19:51 PM
One thing to remember is that bacteria do not cause the common cold and other things....these are Virus infections. Anti-bacterial wipes may not help to prevent this. But washing hands is always a good idea.
Posted by: jb | Jan 31, 2007 4:00:02 AM
For those whose job requires travel here's another bit of good advice. In your nice clean motel room the dirtiest, nastiest, MOST CONTAMINATED surface is very likely to be the TV remote control. Bacterial counts off the charts!! Be aware, stay well.
Posted by: Mike Burnette | Jan 31, 2007 12:09:19 PM
You don't need to fear germs. Trying to kill every germ around just leaves you more susceptible to the ones you will naturally miss. Of course you should wash your hands and take common sense precautions to avoid illness, but your immune system is the absolute best defense you have. If your immune system isn't exposed to these microbes, when they do catch up with you, it is going to hit harder and longer. The last time I was ill was 18 months ago and it wasn’t bad enough to stay home from work.
This is just anecdotal, but it seems like the people I know most obsessed with killing every germ they can are the sickest.
If you aren’t convinced, enter the words “dangers of antibacterial soap” into a search engine. Product websites will tell you how their products keep you healthy, but that only is to boost sales. Take a look at what scientists actually say.
Posted by: Jereme Bintz | Jan 31, 2007 7:52:35 PM
I think cleanliness is important, but using these antimicrobial handwashes promotes the increase of resistant bacteria. The best solution is still plain old soap, hot water and friction for about 20 seconds or so. Don't be tempted to use anti-bacterial soaps - you will be contributing to the problems we see with germs that are resistant to antibiotics. This is a serious problem!
Posted by: Mary Jane Murphy | Jan 31, 2007 9:54:38 PM
Your body is designed to fight germs. Germicides are probably worse for you than most germs and are absorbed through the skin. Many scientists think some of the auto-immune diseases which are proliferating today result from children being raised in environments which are too clean, so that their immune systems do not become properly trained to fight germs, and start attacking parts of their own bodies. The environmental burden of producing all these anti-germ wipes and nonsense is totally unjustified, and probably counterproductive in the long run in terms of public health. You keep your immune system strong by being exposed to things and fighting them off.
Posted by: JennyT | Feb 1, 2007 7:14:57 AM
I say: eat a little dirt, smoke a few cigges, drink a little whiskey, and you'll be all right. Yes, you should clean your stuff!! Of course. I'm fifty years, and its worked for me. Never had a flu shot in my life and I'm healthty as a horse. DO NOT put yourself in bubble. Some think it's okay to make others responsible for your problems, but it won't keep you healthy.
Posted by: rootin tootin rene | Feb 1, 2007 8:31:25 AM
Another problem that is happening is that by everyone useing all these "Antibacterial" soaps and other products, we are just creating "Super Germs". Hand washing is the best way to prevent spreading of germs but it also means washing them for more than 10 seconds! While attending school for my medical career, I was told that the easy way to remember how long to wash and scrub your hands with soap on them is to sing either "happy birthday" or "jingle bells" to yourself. Too often, I see people wet their hands and dry them off and that's it! (YUCK!) Take the extra minute and help yourself and others from getting sick by useing soap!
I also use a mix of bleach and water to clean with since bleach is the only thing that will kill most germs! (10:1 mix)
Happy Health to all!
Posted by: Boise Storm | Feb 1, 2007 8:51:23 AM
I work in a center Kiosk at a mall and one of the things that comes up is trying to get the boss to wipe of the touch screen computer. He uses the hand santizer like water when it comes to piercing someone but he does not think to use the cleaner to wipe of the screen or even counters to help keep the store clean. Then he comes in sick and it is spread to everyone he works with. Now I am sick with a cold and its a heck of a way to start a vacation. i usually buy a can of lysol spray and that helps. How can I make him more aware to use the cleaner more to keep our work world a better cold free environment? Harp on him daily about it?
Posted by: Bonnie J. Beaulieu | Feb 1, 2007 11:03:21 AM
I don't remember when was the last time I was sick. Simple. Because I was healthy. Washing your hands properly and keeping simple hygiene is the best defense rather than using antibacterial products. Our body has a natural defense and immune system (natural or acquired) to fight these foreign invaders. It is be more detrimental when antibacterial products are used excessively. So, those who are obsessed with killing germs to stay clean only hurt themselves in the long run. In short, exercise your body and mind to stay healthy, not avoiding exercise to prevent yourself from getting hurt, tired or sick.
Posted by: Terence of San Diego | Feb 1, 2007 12:32:10 PM
Take it from a biology and chemisty student:
Anti-bacterial wipes won't help you in the long run.
All they do is select for stronger bacteria, which will make it harder for you to fight off the germs that you do catch.
Everything in the universe falls under one (sometimes two) of three categories: water soluble, fat soluble, and insoluble. Things like table salt and suger are water soluble. Anything greasy is fat soluble. Insoluble things will, eventually, sink to the bottom of other substances (or top, if they're less dense). Soap is both fat soluble and water soluble. That's why it works. The cell walls of bacteria are lipid, or fat. They will stick to the fatty portion of soap molecules. The other portion of soap molecules likes water, and will follow it down the drain, taking with it anything that stuck to the other part of the soap molecule. Soap takes the bacteria away. Without its food source (you) the bacteria will die (unless it finds another food source).
If you are such a germophobe, use soap.
The proper way to wash your hands (as dictated to food service employees) is to use water as hot as you can stand it and scrub for at least 20 seconds, getting under your fingernails and all the way up to your elbows. John Tesh told his audience that anti-bacterial soap is no different from regular soap in terms of how many germs are left on your hands. Just use regular soap, so as not to strengthen all the germs on your hands.
Always remember one important thing about the flu shot: it only protects you against the strains that were put into the vaccine. If a strain that was deemed too weak to put into the vaccine later becomes stronger and viable, you can still catch that flu. Also keep in mind that the flu virus mutates rapidly. That flu shot is most effective for only a few weeks.
Remember: the flu never kills! It merely distracts and tires out your immune system. Other infections that you wouldn't have noticed otherwise can and do take advantage of this.
Finally, if you don't let some germs in, you'll get sick of every little thing, because your immune system will 'forget' how to defend you. You have to keep your immune system in shape, just like your muscles and brain.
Posted by: Nicole | Feb 1, 2007 10:59:39 PM
Greetings,
I really like your new feature for company information.
It gives you a snap shot of whom you might be working for.
Monster just keeps getting better and better.
Thank you
Posted by: Robert Ritchie | Feb 3, 2007 1:41:53 PM
Nicole, lots of good information. But you CAN die from the flu, or its immediate effects. My own grandmother died in the 1918 World pandemic.
Posted by: Doreene | Feb 4, 2007 3:16:43 PM
your immune system is there for a reason. it protects you against germs and like most things, gets stronger with practice. sure, no one wants to get sick. but the chance of catching something severe or perhaps even life threatening is pretty slim with average contact from person to person. fact is, over use of anti-bacterial products by "germaphobes" weakens your immune system because it doesn't get exposure to different germs and bacteria. it doesn't get a chance to fight it off and develop antibodies. it also makes germs stronger. since they procreate at incredibly high rates, they also mutate very quickly. using an antibacterial product does eliminate most germs. the few that survive have a genetic resistance and continue to multiply. now, instead of having germs that are annoying but mainly harmless, even if you get sick from them, we now have stronger and stronger germs that are increasingly resistant to medicines and disinfectants. when you encounter one of these germs, due to your weaker immune system, it means that it's nastier and longer lasting. so why is our society so germaphobic? in the long run, most of them are actually good for you.
Posted by: chinue | Feb 4, 2007 5:58:23 PM
First, let us clear up some very important misconceptions. The common flu CAN kill. Every year about 36,000 people die from the common flu and around 200,000 are hospitalized in the US alone (numbers from CDC). This is the flu that happens every year. This is not a pandemic flu, which people have little pre-existing immunity to and has much higher mortality rates. The flu of 1918 (H1N1) was pandemic, not the common flu.
Second, there are extremely strong arguments against the widespread use of anti-biotic treatments (i.e. anti-biotic soap, wipes, etc.). However, this does not mean that preventing routine infection is a bad thing. You should still try to keep your workspace clean and encourage others to do the same. Use anti-septic agents to clean. These will destroy both viri and bacterium, without selecting for resistance. It is very simple, wash you hands and use anti-septic wipes on your worksurfaces routinely. You don't have to go Monk, just take a minute during the workday to clean up. You will notice a difference in your infection rates.
Another note... when washing hands in a public restroom, use a paper towel to turn off the water. If you use your freshly washed hand to turn off the water you are just reintroducing the same bugs you just washed off, with everyone elses bugs added as a bonus.
Posted by: RC | Feb 5, 2007 1:35:17 PM
Don't be a germaphobe; it is not healthy and you endup spending more time using your bacterial wipes then being constructive at your work. Several factors play a part in getting sick; one is your immune system and how you take care of yourself. When you get run down through stress or by not getting enough sleep (two of the contributing factors) you become more able to pickup the germs which in turn attack the system and then you are, sick.
If you look back to the flue pandemic of 1918 there were other contributing factors that made it the worst flue epidemic of the centry. The main contributing factor was that of crowded conditions and that no one who contracted the flu in its early stages stayed home to contain the spread. The flue may not have killed most of the victims but a contracted secondary infection, such as pnumonia may have contributed to their deaths. And at that time there were no vacine in existance for vacinations.
As to taking a flu shot! It helps but does not necessaryly prevent you from getting the flue. Me! I've never had a flu shot and I still have been able to stay well. So Please, don't spend all your time trying to make everything germ free because it just won't work. By washing your hands and not touching your face you can minimize the chances of getting sick but you can never get rid of germs.
Posted by: Mary Ann Fesler | Feb 9, 2007 4:33:24 PM
The CDC has published articles which indicate the use of antibacterial cleansers are unnecessary in healthy environments and that the proliferation of these products may be one reason that allergies in children have drastically risen. CNN has published a study which indicated the high rates of appendicitis in developed countries (relative to third world countries) may also be due to overly-hygenic environments.
However, I am taking a different position than most and I'm going to also question the wisdom of the "common sense" frequent handwashing. I am probably the healthiest person I know and I wash my hands usually only during bathing. I have even remained healthy while having two children under 4 years of age in day care. If you haven't yet had the pleasure, you can just think of them as petri dishes. Obviously that's proof of nothing but I also have seen no indication in my life time that those people who wash frequently are any healthier over time. And, as a scientist, I can't think of a single study which indicates that people who wash their hands frequently are less sick than those who don't. Obviously, handwashing has been shown to remove viruses immediately after washing but my guess is that viruses are so prevalent in our environment, that the handwashing is effective for a matter of a few minutes. Think about all the things that you touch everyday: light switches, hand rails, refrigerator doors, car doors, store doors, grocery carts, desks, phones, computer mouse, t.v. remote et al. I do know that nature doesn't like for us to mess with the natural balance. I can't help but think that too frequent washing is analogous to preventing and/or quickly putting out wildfires in our wilderness areas. The wildfires are a part of the natural process and most of the large growth can withstand these small frequent fires. But by us preventing the fires the undergrowth builds to unnatural levels so that when a fire finally does happen, it is much bigger and hotter and then kills everything. Could it be that by living in an overly hygenic environment and preventing ourselves from getting the occasional cold or flu infections, we are setting ourselves up for much worse symptoms?
Of course this thought process defies common sense but the problem with common sense is that it is often wrong. Who amongst you grew up in a household where you couldn't go outside in the winter without gloves, coat, hat and a scarf. Since we all got sick in the winter, common sense told our parents that it was the cold weather that did it (I'm sure there are a few amongst us who still believe that). However, we now know that it had nothing to do with the cold weather but rather the confines spaces and lack of fresh air that tends to spread our winter ills.
My guess is some day we will also find out that handwashing really does little for us in the long run. For now, I'm going to keep eating my sandwhich with dirty hands!
Posted by: Robert Harris | Oct 11, 2007 4:17:49 AM
I'm all for the George Carlin method for fighting off germs. He waxes poetic on the subject in his skit "You Are All Diseased".
It's absolutely hilarious as George credits his good health to how he swam in the Hudson river's raw sewage as a child growing up in New York.
Posted by: Miss Office Water Coolers | Oct 12, 2007 4:28:19 PM
Post a comment
Career Advice
Categories
Recent Posts
- The Cyber Monday Myth: Do You Shop Online at Work?
- Stay Healthy at Work over the Holidays
- Giving Thanks for a Great Job Seeking Experience (and a New Job)
- Racing to the Finish Line with 2 Competing Job Offers
- Reflections on a Successful, Often Sleepless, Job Search
- Due Diligence and the Job Offer: More Than Salary and Benefits
- The Job Search Isn’t Over Until the Offer Is in Hand
- Career Boomerang: What If Your Job Search Brings You Back to a Former Employer?
- 3 Steps to Prepare for 3 Job Interviews in 3 Days
- Pair the Job Search with Underemployment to Keep Your Head Above Water
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| 29 | 30 |