The healthy workplace project: Reduced viral exposure in an office setting

ABSTRACT

Viral illnesses such as gastroenteritis and the common cold create a substantial burden in the workplace due to reduced productivity, increased absenteeism, and increased health care costs. Behaviors in the workplace contribute to the spread of human viruses via direct contact between hands, contaminated surfaces, and the mouth, eyes, and/or nose. This study assessed whether implementation of the Healthy Workplace Project (HWP) (providing hand sanitizers, disinfecting wipes, facial tissues, and use instructions) would reduce viral loads in an office setting of approximately 80 employees after seeding fomites and the hands of volunteer participants with an MS-2 phage tracer. The HWP significantly reduced viable phage detected on participants’ hands, communal fomites, and personal fomites (p ≤ .010) in office environments and presents a cost-effective method for reducing the health and economic burden associated with viral illnesses in the workplace.

Keywords:

• Fomite contamination; indoor pathogen transmission; office workers; workplace illness

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Dr Gerardo U. Lopez of The University of Arizona for providing microbial transfer rates relative to various surface types and Rachel Coon for formatting assistance. All protocols for this study were reviewed by The University of Arizona's Institutional Review Board and determined not to represent human subjects research as defined by the US Department of Health and Human Services code of federal regulations, 45 CFR 46.102(f).

Funding

This work was supported in part by a grant from the Kimberly-Clark Corporation. Dr Beamer was supported by K25HL103970 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). The content is solely the work of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.