World's first dishwasher safe keyboard.. - 11th Jan 2009 7:18pm
World's first dishwasher safe keyboard to help beat superbugs
The world's first dishwasher safe keyboard, specifically designed to help eradicate superbugs from hospital, will soon go on sale in the UK.
Seal shield, a US healthcare company, unveiled its new range of fully submersible, dishwasher safe computer keyboards, mice and remote controls at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
Keyboards can be five times dirtier than the average toilet seat, according to research by consumer watchdog Which?. Microbiologists found some keyboard contaminated with 150 times the acceptable level of bacteria.
Anyone who eats a sandwich or snack while typing at their desk can pick up bacteria that could lead to a stomach upset.
Keyboards are a high infection risk in hospitals because it is hard to remove bacteria from the gaps between keys.
Experts warn work place hygiene is so poor "qwerty tummy", named after the first six words of a computer keyboard, could sweep through the country's offices.
University of London Microbiologist Dr Peter Wilson said: "Should somebody have a cold in your office, or even have gastroenteritis, you're very likely to pick it up from a keyboard."
The NHS spends more than £1.6bn a year on combating superbug infection.
The health service recently announced plans to spend £1m on "infection resistant" flat keyboards which are easier to clean.
Experts from the University of Arizona said remote controls can be an even greater risk to health in hospital.
"Remote controls have three times greater levels of bacteria than any other site in hospital rooms," the university's Professor Charles Gerba said.
"Common colds, flu's and MRSA can survive on surfaces such as remote controls for up to three days."
The Seal Shield products also contain silver ions to help reduce microbial growth and inhibit the spread of odour-causing bacteria.
Meanwhile, help is now at hand for the thousands of office workers who suffer from repetitive strain injury in their hands and arms - a computer mouse operated by your feet.
More than half a million Brits suffer from RSI, which affects muscles, tendons and nerves and can be caused by constant clicking and scrolling on a regular mouse.
But the 'foot mouse' has been specially designed to 'reduce hand and wrist stress, help physically challenged computer users and speed up workflow.'
It works in the same way as a regular mouse, with a control pedal enabling the user to left and right click.
A separate 'slipper' which attaches to your foot controls the movement of the cursor on the screen.
The foot mouse, which is compatible with Windows Vista or XP as well as Apple Macs, costs 109 pounds from UK firm Keytools.
Company sales manager Phil Guest today said: "As the number of employees working intensively with computers has increased, so has attention to their work station environment become more significant.
"Musculoskeletal disorders amongst computer users now occur on such a scale that the cost of lost work time and the sourcing of occupational health support services has become a serious issue.
"The foot mouse is a great way to cut down the risk of suffering from one of these disorders."
Annually, 40 million work days are lost due to occupational health injury and the financial cost to organisations is estimated to be a staggering 3.3 billion pounds every year.
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The world's first dishwasher safe keyboard, specifically designed to help eradicate superbugs from hospital, will soon go on sale in the UK.
Seal shield, a US healthcare company, unveiled its new range of fully submersible, dishwasher safe computer keyboards, mice and remote controls at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
Keyboards can be five times dirtier than the average toilet seat, according to research by consumer watchdog Which?. Microbiologists found some keyboard contaminated with 150 times the acceptable level of bacteria.
Anyone who eats a sandwich or snack while typing at their desk can pick up bacteria that could lead to a stomach upset.
Keyboards are a high infection risk in hospitals because it is hard to remove bacteria from the gaps between keys.
Experts warn work place hygiene is so poor "qwerty tummy", named after the first six words of a computer keyboard, could sweep through the country's offices.
University of London Microbiologist Dr Peter Wilson said: "Should somebody have a cold in your office, or even have gastroenteritis, you're very likely to pick it up from a keyboard."
The NHS spends more than £1.6bn a year on combating superbug infection.
The health service recently announced plans to spend £1m on "infection resistant" flat keyboards which are easier to clean.
Experts from the University of Arizona said remote controls can be an even greater risk to health in hospital.
"Remote controls have three times greater levels of bacteria than any other site in hospital rooms," the university's Professor Charles Gerba said.
"Common colds, flu's and MRSA can survive on surfaces such as remote controls for up to three days."
The Seal Shield products also contain silver ions to help reduce microbial growth and inhibit the spread of odour-causing bacteria.
Meanwhile, help is now at hand for the thousands of office workers who suffer from repetitive strain injury in their hands and arms - a computer mouse operated by your feet.
More than half a million Brits suffer from RSI, which affects muscles, tendons and nerves and can be caused by constant clicking and scrolling on a regular mouse.
But the 'foot mouse' has been specially designed to 'reduce hand and wrist stress, help physically challenged computer users and speed up workflow.'
It works in the same way as a regular mouse, with a control pedal enabling the user to left and right click.
A separate 'slipper' which attaches to your foot controls the movement of the cursor on the screen.
The foot mouse, which is compatible with Windows Vista or XP as well as Apple Macs, costs 109 pounds from UK firm Keytools.
Company sales manager Phil Guest today said: "As the number of employees working intensively with computers has increased, so has attention to their work station environment become more significant.
"Musculoskeletal disorders amongst computer users now occur on such a scale that the cost of lost work time and the sourcing of occupational health support services has become a serious issue.
"The foot mouse is a great way to cut down the risk of suffering from one of these disorders."
Annually, 40 million work days are lost due to occupational health injury and the financial cost to organisations is estimated to be a staggering 3.3 billion pounds every year.
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