Bacteria that causes food poisoning found on two thirds of desks

MOULD and bacteria that can cause food poisoning has been found on hundreds of office desks around the country.

Laboratory research has revealed several different types of bacteria on desks and shows many workstations are extremely unhygienic.

Staphylococcus was found on two thirds of desks surveyed and this can cause food poisoning if allowed to grow on food. Almost 90% of desks were found to have bacillus, which comes from dust or soil.

On more than half of desks traces of micrococcus was discovered, which is commonly found on skin and can create an unpleasant odour. Some desks were found to have mould underneath the keyboard.

The messiest person in the office is likely to be a married man in his mid-30, the survey by office supplies company Viking showed.

IT workers, auctioneers and accountants are the messiest employees while social workers are most likely to have mouldy food on their desks.

Dr Lisa Ackerley, an environmental health practitioner, said: “This research has shown that there are some very unhygienic desks right now in the Ireland, which is very worrying as we go into the cold and flu season, when typically those who work in open plan offices tend starting coming down with illnesses.

“Dirty desks have been shown in this study to harbour bacteria, and this means that germs from infected office workers could collect on workstations ready for the next user. This is why keeping equipment such as keyboards, phones and desks as germ free as possible at this time of year is crucial.”

Hundreds of office workers at small businesses and multinationals, as well as schools and hospitals, swabbed their keyboards as part of the research. Swabs were taken from keyboards and desks and tested at a laboratory.

More than half of office workers are unaware that bacteria could be on their keyboards, phones and desks. Three quarters of workers admitted to eating lunch at their desks and not cleaning their workstation afterwards, which is the main cause of dirt build-up and bacterial multiplication.

According to the poll, the average office has three really messy employees.

“Our research has found that many office workers not only don’t clean their desks, but allow food to go mouldy. Office items such as phones, computer screens and keyboards and desks are havens for bacteria,” said Dr Ackerley.