Office computers dirtier than toilets, say researchers

WORKERS have long been warned about the dangers of heavy machinery and toxic materials but the computer keyboard poses one of the greatest workplace hazards, researchers have warned.

Its surface contains hundreds of times more bacteria per square inch than the office toilet seat and it is reckoned to be twice as filthy as a refuse bin.

US microbiologist Dr Charles Gerba uncovered the shocking extent of bacteria on workplace surfaces during research at the University of Arizona.