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Idaho Transportation
Department
Office of Communications
P.O. Box 7129
Boise, ID 83707
208.334.8005
Fax: 208.334.8563

 


The workplace: Keep it clean to reduce infection risk

National news reports the past week have drawn attention to a growing medical crisis – the rampant spread of staph infection that might be killing more than 19,000 victims per year in the U.S.

Infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria are far more widespread than scientists previously thought, according to a study published this week.

Of the nine sites that researchers examined recently, Baltimore had the highest rate of infection by invasive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, commonly known as MRSA.
But health officials said the city was more urbanized than the other sites, which could account for much of the difference.

Experts said this study of MRSA, the most comprehensive to date, highlighted the growing danger of these antibiotic-resistant germs. Patients who contract MRSA are more likely to die than those who contract many other bacterial infections.

The report coincidently comes as the country observes National Infection Control Week, the third week of October.

Cheryl Rost, manager of Office of Employee Safety at ITD, shares the following that can help reduce the spread of infections and the associated risks.

Pop quiz

Conference room germ warfare:
Place these six common workplace surfaces, found in a typical conference room, in the order of least contaminated surface to the most contaminated surface:

  • Phone mouthpiece
  • Desk or table top
  • Chair armrest
  • Computer mouse
  • Doorknob
  • Light switch

Answer: (Least to most contaminated surface in a conference room):

6. Light switch
5. Doorknob
4. Desktop
3. Phone mouthpiece
2. Computer mouse

And the most contaminated surface in a conference room? Drum roll, please ...

1. The chair armrest

Contaminated surfaces are not the same throughout the workplace, though. In an office, the most contaminated workplace surface is the phone mouthpiece and in a cubicle it's the light switch.

Source: Research report titled: Heterotrophic Bacterial levels on Common Workplace Surface, Conducted by S.A. Boone, K.R. Bright, and C.P. Gerba of The University of Arizona.

Armed for germ warfare

How to avoid dangerous staph infection

By The Associated Press
Good hygiene is the best way to avoid infection from a potentially dangerous drug-resistant germ called methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. A new government report suggests that more 90,000 Americans annually get an invasive form of the disease, which can be deadly.

This staph infection sometimes first appears on the skin as a red, swollen pimple or boil that may be painful or have pus. It can be spread by close skin-to skin contact or by touching surfaces contaminated with the germ.

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises:

  • Keep your hands clean by washing thoroughly with soap and water or using an alcohol-based hand cleaner
  • Keep cuts and scrapes clean and covered with a bandage until healed.
  • Avoid contact with other people's wounds or bandages.
  • Avoid sharing personal items such as towels or razors.

Source: The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

Published 10-19-07