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*According to a recent survey undertaken by workplace facility company PHS, 71% of facilities managers believe the manual contact between staff and shared equipment is the biggest source of germ and virus transferral. *

PHS Waterlogic’s mains-fed water dispensers each have an anti-microbial surface that inhibits the spread of bacteria through surface contact.

A study carried out at the University of Arizona revealed that the average office desktop has 400 times more bacteria than an office toilet seat, a concern as 57% of staff now regularly eat at their desks due to longer hours and larger workloads.

This increase in office-based meals and refreshments also means more staff are choosing to use workplace-provided vending and refreshment services, such as water dispensers, further increasing the risk of bacteria spreading between users.

Alarmingly, only 9% of facilities managers reported having anti-bacterial surface treatments in the kitchen and food preparation areas, with only a further 1% reporting that their workplace uses equipment with anti-bacterial treatment incorporated into its surfaces.

Biocote is an active anti-microbial protective coating that is incorporated into PHS Waterlogic’s drinking water cooler units during the manufacturing process. Biocote prevents the risk of cross-contamination by inhibiting the growth and build up of bacteria.

Biocote, only available across PHS Waterlogic’s range of mains fed water coolers, complements cleaning procedures in place and helps to minimise the levels of present harmful bacteria by 99.9% over a 24-hour period.

Biocote technology is effective against a series of microbes such as MRSA, E.coli, Salmonella and Listeria and is guaranteed for the lifetime of the unit. This is particularly useful for the 61% of facilities managers that consider the maintenance of good hygiene levels in the workplace to be of high priority under their duty of care to staff and visitors.

Illness costs UK businesses £13bn a year, and a loss of an estimated 175 million working days, heightening the need to create greater awareness amongst facilities managers to technology such as Biocote.