How Your Office Could Be Making You Sick

 

Where are you most likely to get sick? When you think of all the places that could be culprits when it comes to your health, is your office on the list? If not, it should be. Whether you work with a lot of other people or you work remotely from home, there are some office-based problems that might be causing you more issues than you realize. Here are some of the ways that your office, whether home or away, could be making you sick.

 

Your Filthy Keyboard

It should come as no surprise that your keyboard is a big reason for sickness. You touch it all day, for hours at a time, and even if you wash your hands regularly, there is still a lot of bacteria to be found on your keyboard – studies have shown that in some cases, there are five times as many bacteria on a keyboard compared to a toilet seat. Now you can see why your keyboard might be a problem in terms of your health. The main issue is that keyboards rarely, if ever, get cleaned; can you remember the last time you cleaned yours? The answer is probably that you can’t, or you know you’ve never cleaned it.

 

Don’t feel guilty; those same studies conclude that only about ten percent of keyboard users clean theirs regularly. However, now that you know it’s a problem and you might be getting sick just through typing emails, you might want to add keyboard cleaning to your weekly tasks.

 

Your Monitor

Your eyesight is very important, but it could be damaged by working in your office. This can be due to the lighting; poor lighting or lighting that’s too harsh can affect your eyesight in a negative way. However, it’s more likely to do with your monitor or screen. You are staring at this for more time than you look at anything else, and the blue light that emits from it can cause eyesight issues.

 

Some of the ways to prevent these problems include wearing special blue light glasses or using a filter over your screen to block the blue light as much as possible. Also, try to take breaks when you can. If you do find you’re having problems with your eyesight, it’s best to consult a professional for advice; you might also want to consider laser eye surgery Melbourne so you no longer have to wear glasses or contact lenses; this can make eyestrain less of an issue.

 

Your Desk

Another problem that could be making you sick is your desk, and again, this can happen whether you work from home or you attend a physical office elsewhere. Although ideally, your employer would have organized the right desks if you work in a central office. The right desk is one that is designed with ergonomics in mind; that means that it is designed for the user, and it ensures that you can sit comfortably without straining your back, neck, shoulders, and hips.

 

As well as having an ergonomic desk, you must ensure you don’t sit down for too long in one go. If you don’t get up and move around, you’ll be much more susceptible to conditions such as type II diabetes, obesity, and even blood clots. Make sure you take a break for at least ten minutes every hour to keep yourself healthier.