Archive - 2009

The workplace is by far the most common places to catch flu viruses. For most people it means being in close proximity to lots of others. Making matters even worse is the fact that less than 16% of employees wash their hands as often as they should. On top of that, 1 in 5 do not washing their hands at all. Although many are still not fully cooperating, workplaces are being encouraged to improve the hand hygiene of their employees in an effort to reduce the spread of swine flu. One way to improve this situation is to have employees keep a hand sanitizer on their desk at work. A hand sanitizer is ideal for quickly cleansing ones hands throughout the day, including between meetings, before lunch, and after the morning commute. Also, many people do not wash their hands properly when visiting the sink. It may seem silly but the problem does contribute to the spread of a lot of illness.

The workplace is also cesspool for the types of germs that cause stomach flu. Just touching a door handle and then bringing your hand to your eyes, mouth, or nose mouth is a recipe for trouble when it comes to the stomach flu. This places even more emphasis on hand washing numerous times throughout the day. The stomach flu can also be spread by food that has been handled improperly. It can also be spread via infected water and food. If, for example, someone has the stomach flu and you touch something that they have touched, then you are susceptible. Although it can pop up at any time of the year, people are more likely to get the stomach flu in the winter months. The best line of defense is to clean the contaminated area with pure bleach since household cleaners are generally not strong enough to kill the virus.

While vaccination is the best way to prevent the flu, other methods including cleaning and disinfecting all areas in the workplace. Proper hand washing techniques and hand hygiene can also go a long way in flu prevention. One way to prevent the spreading of germs by keeping things germ free is to have office cleaning services clean your workplace regularly. It may seem like an unnecessary expense but if you consider the amount of money you may have to pay out in sick leave, not to mention the amount of lost productivity you may endure in flu season, you will find it is money well spent.