Office can not be considered as a dangerous working environment according to law. Yet, you can get quite a few diseases while quietly working at your desk. So, what can be dangerous at your work place?
Offices are usually equipped with air-conditioning. Those “monsters” are the hotbeds of infectious diseases. In fact, conditioners are the breeding sites of legionella, a stimulating agent of life-threatening pneumonia. Try to stay away from air conditioners in office.
Office chairs are rarely chosen to fit the user’s body type. Thus, office workers often suffer from posture disorders and osteochondrosis. Adjust your chair such that the muscle tension during the seating position is minimized. Furthermore, be sure to sit with your back tight against the back of your chair.
Door knobs and elevator buttons are the most heavily used spots in your office. Consider how many people touch them every day. In addition, the USA National Academy of Sciences states that, on average, around 150 species of bacteria live on a single human hand. So, try to wash your hands frequently.
Lack of Doors
However, there is an element of danger even if your office has no doors but only screen dividers. Scientists believe that various infections tend to spread out faster in large offices with screen separators. Convince your colleagues to have five-minute ventilation breaks every once in a while, since the more fresh air there is in the room, the lower are everyone’s chances of catching someone else’s viruses.
American microbiologist Charles Gerba calculated that on average there are 510 different types of microbes per square centimeter of the keyboard. It is about 150 times more than there is on an average toilet seat.
Also, keep your hands away from your face when you are at work. Many of us have the bad habit of propping up on our palm at work, while, in fact, this way we create a straight “highway” for those beasts to your mucous membrane.
Overworking often leads to chronic stress. If regular overtime work is normal for you and you have been going so for weeks now, perhaps it is time to take a break. Well-balanced diet (with sufficient quantity of protein and fat), light physical activity at least three times a week, and regular breaks can help you reduce your stress from work.
If we follow the logic of the scientists, then even the pay from your hard work is bad for you, since money are densely populated with microbes and we also rarely spend them on something good for our health.
Source of the image: dailymail.co.uk.