Just like our homes, our places of work can also become infested with pests. Pests in the workplace can make it difficult to perform your job optimally. This issue can also lower employee morale. But which pests are most common in the workplace, and how do you remove these pests?
Pests in the workplace: what you need to know
The reason why we get pests in the workplace is most often because of food. Employees bring their lunch into the workplace and this attracts pests. Another reason is because people make a mess of communal areas, for instance the kitchen. People may also eat at their desk, or leave snacks or lunch boxes in their desk, and this attracts pests.
In examples like these, the most common pests they attract are rodents, cockroaches and ants. All three of these pests are drawn by the presence of food. The key to preventing this is making sure that employees clean up after themselves.
Employees should be discouraged from bringing food into the workplace, or eating in the office. If they do bring in food, then you need to make sure that it’s eaten in the kitchen. This area must also remain in a hygienic state. Anyone who uses the kitchen must make a resolution to keep it clean. This includes wiping down surfaces, cleaning dishes, and keeping things like the microwave clean. Employees must also understand that if there are pests around that they cannot eat at their desks or keep food in their desks. It’s important that you inform employees of these policies.
Do you have unused areas in your premises?
Another reason why you get pests in the workplace are these rarely used areas. These could be places like spare rooms and offices, or cupboards. Areas such as this provide the perfect place for pests to live. Humans don’t often go there, so pests can live and breed without being disturbed.Also, besr in mind that pests thrive in damp places, so any unused part of the building that is damp will be hit worst.
In these types of places, you’ll mostly find rodents like mice and cockroaches. You may also find other pests such as silverfish, or sometimes even birds. Routinely inspecting uninhabited areas is the key to preventing these pests in the workplace. Try to avoid locking up spare offices and forgetting about them. It’s necessary that you enter these places at least once a month. This way you can make sure that pests have not taken hold.
It’s an even better idea to hire a London pest control company who can perform routine maintenance. Our team can come in and do these types of inspections for you on a regular basis. In addition to this, we can carry out preventative measures. This includes setting traps for rodents, or using pesticides for things like cockroaches.