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5 Surprising Places Germs are Hiding at Work

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Each year between October and May, cold and flu season rears its ugly head in the U.S. and causes employers to lose hundreds of billions of dollars annually in costs associated with absenteeism.

To help keep the spread of illness at bay, health agencies implore businesses to promote thorough handwashing and practice heightened sanitation efforts on common surfaces. The usual suspects? Doorknobs, stair railings, copiers and printers, keyboards, water fountains, vending machines, toilet handles, and elevator buttons.

But there are some unsuspecting hotspots where germs could be festering, and overlooking those areas could mean more sick days are on the horizon. Here are five places germs could be hiding in the workplace:

  1. External/Internal Mail Packages and Envelopes

Those interoffice or interdepartmental office envelopes are handy, but they could also be contaminated with some of the 10 million germs that are found on a typical office desk as reported by a study from the University of Arizona. Although germs and viruses tend to thrive on harder surfaces, they can live on paper products.

Easy fix: Companies can invest in anti-microbial paper products, but transferring information digitally whenever possible is also an option. Allowing freshly-delivered packages to sit untouched for a few minutes can also help.

  1. Coffee Pots and Microwaves

These two items commonly found in the break room have made the list of unsuspecting germ magnets, but not for the reasons one might think. Yes, germs can transmit from the handles, but there is a bigger problem lurking inside. Warm, wet areas become the quintessential breeding ground for mold. Mold presents its own set of health challenges, but recent research also suggests that mold can actually trigger the immune system into overreacting to the flu virus, increasing its severity.

Easy fix: Routinely sanitize the appliances inside and out to keep mold away.

  1. Money

From yen to pesos to the almighty American dollar, it’s all dirty money when it comes to bacteria. The exchange of currency is a matter of doing business in many office buildings, but touching both bills and coins could open up the door to bacterial exposure, which could lead to some illnesses like pneumonia, sinus infections and MRSA.

Easy fix: While this one is a little tougher to fix, there are some ways to limit the exposure to bacteria from money in the office. One good way is to offer cashless vending machines.

  1. Pens

As technology would have it, writing utensils have taken a back seat to keyboards. Both harbor about as many germs as a public toilet seat, but pens tend to be a bit more communal in the workplace. Think sign-in sheets or receipts. Biting or chewing on a pen can become an unconscious mouthing behavior, but helping germs into the mouth is a surefire way to speed up virus transmission.

Easy fix: Have ample supply of pens to cut down on the need to share among coworkers and visitors and encourage employees to keep pens in their sanitation routines.

  1. Windowsills and blinds

Due to the possibility of moisture, windowsills are another area where mold and mildew can develop. Additionally, blinds can collect and trap germs as well as block ultraviolet light, which studies show can be effective in killing germs inside.

Easy fix: Disinfect windowsills regularly and inspect for any signs of mildew or mold. Consider eliminating blinds or disinfecting them often and keep them open during the daylight hours.