In Search of WELLness: Food Contamination (#42)

At Markon, we continue our pursuit of WELL Certification for our Headquarters expansion. WELL Certified spaces maximize a work space by focusing on how humans interact in the built environment. The purpose is to increase health and productivity.

The prerequisite that I found myself getting involved in this week was Feature #42 – Food Contamination.

Many of us are forced to use the shared office pantry refrigerator to keep our lunch and snacks cold. For those without a regular cleaning schedule, office refrigerators are notorious for becoming Petri dishes and filled with science projects.

According to the WELL Building Standard, microorganisms from raw meat, fish, and poultry can be transmitted to other products via surfaces like the company’s refrigerator. This bacteria can lead to gastrointestinal problems associated with food poisoning. To mitigate food-borne illness, food must be at the right temperature and stored properly. WELL requires that raw foods are separated in different storage areas and are clearly labeled.

When we built our space, we looked for a refrigerator that displayed temperature. This quickly becoming a standard feature in refrigerators, but if you go for the least expensive product, you may not find any display or just a series of bars indicating the temperature.

To meet the standard, we adjusted our Food Policy to state that the bottom drawer in the refrigerator was for raw foods only. We also labeled this drawer with our label maker to ensure that it was clear to all users.

If we can save just one sick day (in all likelihood a miserable sick day) for our team, that is a very big win. A simple label has the opportunity to impact both health and productivity.

Be WELL!