Why you shouldn't eat 'Al Desko'
13 November, 2009
If your reading this on your PC, you're probably inches away from a keyboard harbouring more bacteria than the average toilet seat & leaving enough crumbs to feed a family of rodents.
Rentokil is asking workers to drop the habit of dining Al Desko, and get out of the office to eat their meals. Aside from the often-touted productivity benefits of getting a proper lunch break, taking food away from your desk helps to lower the likelihood of pests like rodents, fleas, cockroaches and other biting insects working their way into your office. It also provides a more hygienic working environment, where germs are less likely to fester.
Savvas Othon, Technical Director at Rentokil Pest Control, offers his advice on maintaining a pest-free environment and the dangers that dining Al Desko can present to staff's health, and the pests that may appear if employees cannot break this habit.
"Whilst it's admirable that hard working Brits are willing to carry on straight through lunch, it's important that they realise that if you live at your desk, then soon enough, so will certain other creatures. Pest Problems can quickly become a headache for office managers too, as they cause complaints and damage to reputation among staff and clients alike. It's usually well known who the food hoarders are in the office; getting people to keep food away from their desks is the first step in a series of easy preventative measures that help keep offices pest free."
The good news is there are simple measures that can be put in place to keep office pests at bay and ensure a hygienic working environment:
1. Don't eat at your desk - Crumbs of food, along with hair and skin will build-up in your keyboard and encourage bacteria and viruses to grow.
2. Don't hoard food - Restrict food to kitchen areas, and keep it out of desk draws and cupboards.
3. If you do make crumbs - Ensure the floor area around your desk is clear so that cleaners can reach them. Otherwise you can attract rodents, and you don't want any mice around your desk other than the one attached to your PC!
4. Ensure bins have liners & are emptied daily - Otherwise residue can build up over time and provide a food source attracting pests such as cockroaches, wasps and rodents.
5. Don't over water plants - As fruit flies can thrive in damp environments.
6. Wash hands regularly - Use anti-bacterial hand gel, particularly after touching items exposed to large amounts of germs such as ATMs and public transport.
7. Call in professionals - On a quarterly basis for hygienic treatment of phones, keyboards and PCs. Hygienic treatment will kill any bacteria that comes into contact with surfaces for up to 8 weeks after treatment.
8. Don't avoid calling in pest control experts - For fear of alarming staff. It's much better to put preventative measures in place before a serious pest problem develops.
For more information on Rentokil's dedicated Office call-out service contact the national service team on 0800 917 1989.