We uncover the horrid truth of the invisible lives on our desktops…

When you say ‘bugs in the workplace,’ most people in this technical age automatically think of electronic bugs or glitches on software programmes or networks. However, the more traditional version of the term bug, your creepy, crawly, eight-legged friend (or enemy), is much more common in the office environment.

Although your workspace may look clean enough, a little investigation underneath the surface would tell a very different story. A recent study conducted by microbiologist Dr Charles Gerba from University of Arizona showed that a desk is capable of supporting 10 million microbes (a micro-organism or bacterium causing disease or fermentation) and the average office contains 20,961 such microbes per square inch.

According to the research, the major problem areas are telephones (which hold 12,127 microbes per square inch), keyboards (3,295 per square inch) and a computer mouse (1,676 per square inch). Interestingly, the study found the average toilet seat is home to only 49 microbes per square inch.

According to the research, the major problem areas are telephones (which hold 12,127 microbes per square inch), keyboards (3,295 per square inch) and a computer mouse (1,676 per square inch). Interestingly, the study found the average toilet seat is home to only 49 microbes per square inch.

“There are bacteria and naturally occurring organisms suspended in the air all around us in the workplace. But dust and spores are blown in from outside and if food is present, along with the right level of moisture and the right temperature, these spores could germinate into something more serious,” says McCleery. “However, this is actually a very small risk and no major concern. What can actually do damage are the germs and bacteria that workers introduce themselves.”

McCleery explains that many different types of potentially debilitating bacteria such as e-coli, salmonella, faecal organisms and listeria can be found on office equipment as well as cold and flu bugs. These forms of bacteria are most commonly transferred from inadequate washing of hands, particularly after using the bathroom.

“According to a recent study, if people washed their hands properly, medical diseases could be reduced by up to 42pc. It shows the importance of proper hand washing. Some people are carriers of bacteria such as salmonella in their intestines. While it does not harm them, if they don’t’ wash their hands properly, it’s very easy for them to cross-contaminate.”

George O’Connell, Managing Director with contract cleaners Ailesbury Services, which employees 600 people throughout the country, says the workplace has changed hugely in the past 10 years in terms of cleanliness. According to O’Connell, when Ailesbury started up 22 years ago, companies were quite lax about their cleaning standards, but now with the advent of US multinationals, better standards of hygiene have arrived.

O’Connell believes a clean workspace leads to higher productivity. “If you have a clean office environment, people care about their office and look after it. If you have a dirty, messy workspace, people don’t care so much.”

O’Connell and his staff have come across the most disgusting of things in the course of their work. “On an average desk you can find faecal germs, nasal droppings, hairs and bugs from colds, often arising from sneezing at the computer.”

As anyone who has worked in an office will know, cold and flu viruses are easily spread in office environments. A sneeze comes out at 100 miles per hour and can spread droplets to a wide distance. And that is why when one person in the office gets sick; it can often spread like wildfire.

Bacteria and viruses can also exist on surfaces for many hours, according to McCleery. “There was a study done in San Francisco where a keyboard was inoculated with various types of bugs. They survived for 24 hours, which is surprising, given that there is no moisture on a keyboard. Normal bacteria and flu viruses can exist on surfaces for approx. two hours.”

Due to the ever increasing pressure and demands of today’s working world people often end up eating at their desks. Crumbs can get lodged in the keyboard or fall onto the desktop and if not adequately cleaned can lead to the germination of more bacteria. According to Dr Gerba’s study, food spills such as crumbs or tea can support mini-ecosystems. Bacteria levels on an office desk rise throughout the day, peaking after lunch.

However, O’Connell believes that employees are tending to eat at their desks less often now. “People still do eat at their desks but it’s not as common as it once was. That is because eating at your desk can cause smells and odours from the food and from the bins, which isn’t nice for the office. A lot of places don’t allow it now because if you carry even your cup of tea or coffee from the kitchen to your desk, you can easily spill it, which requires carpet cleaning. After a while, it makes everything look shabby.”

But in busy offices, some employees have no choice but to work through lunch and grab a snack at their desks. In these cases, McCleery recommends you minimise the risks by wiping down your desk before and after lunch.

“Eating from a lunchbox is the safest way,” he explains. “If you set your sandwich down on your desk and there is some form of e-coli or other bacteria present, your food could get contaminated and you could get food poisoning.”

To alleviate all those worried that their desk is suddenly a hotbed of microscopic activity, McCLeery also reminds us that bacterium is actually essential to our well-being, ironically enough. “It’s extremely important that we have bacteria for digesting food. We need bacteria.”

“It’s very hard to link an individual’s contamination with a dirty workspace,” he says. “For normal, healthy people with no underlying medical conditions, these sorts of germs have a minor effect. It’s only the very old or young or those with medical conditions who may be vulnerable and they should be very aware of the