Help me decide ....

Beasty

I'm in a bit of a predicament

I've discovered today that the showers at work have been closed because they are contaminated with legionella bacteria

So what should I do?

Drive to work
Use the showers anyway - sure it can't be that bad
Hang around all day in smelly/sweaty lycra
Phone in sick with symptome of legionnaires disease
Retire from cycling to spend more time in Dublin County North
Transfer to a new job with a longer commute and clean showers

Any other suggestions welcome

Kav0777

We don't have showers in work so I wash in the sink in the toilets...... so i guess thats pretty much the smell option

manwithaplan

Cycle more slowly to work in order to arrive in a fresher condition but hammer it home to compensate.

Lumen

Wash basin.

funkyjebus

manwithaplan wrote: »

Cycle more slowly to work in order to arrive in a fresher condition but hammer it home to compensate.

+1 for this. Im rarely sweating when i get into work, but I'm soaked on the way home. it helps that its a bit downhill on the way in.

stay away from the shower, legionnaires can be nasty and fatal.

kenmac

Beasty wrote: »

I'm in a bit of a predicament

I've discovered today that the showers at work have been closed because they are contaminated with legionella bacteria

So what should I do?

Strike!!!....manifest change in your conditions of employment.....labour court monday morning......showers tuesday.....!!:D

tomasrojo

What's the distance to work?

If you're fit (and I'm assuming you are!) and if you take it reasonably easy going in and then thoroughly wipe off whatever small amount of sweat has built up before it dries (a muslin square is quite handy, since it folds up very small and is light), you should not smell at all. If you don't want to risk it, then the wash-hand basin or Baby Wipes are a good option too.

(Muslin squares and Baby Wipes happen to be things you have around the house when you've a baby.)

shaungil

don't bother turning up for training on Tuesday if you are carrying disease around with you.

I'm a highly sensetive cyclist prone to many diseases due to my high performance lifestyle.

SomeFool

Lumen wrote: »

Wash basin.

Or baby wipes are good too, pressed shower by accident:P, ment to say smell

doozerie

I don't shower when I get to work, I just change from "commuting clothes" (mostly polyester stuff, and mostly not cycling-specific stuff) into "work clothes" (jeans and a t-shirt in my case). The smell arises from bacteria developing on stale sweat so changing out of sweaty clothes is usually enough to avoid being smelly for the day. Thankfully we have a shower room where I can hang the damp commuting clothes to try so that they are dry and ready to change into for the commute home. My damp clothes from the morning are usually not smelly in the evening either, I'm guessing because they dry quickly enough when hung up that bacteria doesn't get a proper chance to do their smelly worst to them (plus the absence of body heat probably helps fend off bacteria too).

Otherwise I second tomasrojo's suggestion above of using baby wipes or a cloth. A damp facecloth or damp muslim square can work very well too - just wet it at home and carry it in a ziplock bag to work (if you don't have access to clean water in work).

mloc123

rag on a stick

Chips Lovell

Shower in a can FTW:

Beasty

tomasrojo wrote: »

What's the distance to work?

23km in (and for manwithaplan, typically 35km+ home - I'm already taking it "relatively" easy on the way in, and pushing hard on the way home) - unless I switch to shorts and lightweight base layer sweat is inevitable at this time of year!

Beasty

shaungil wrote: »

don't bother turning up for training on Tuesday if you are carrying disease around with you.

I'm a highly sensetive cyclist prone to many diseases due to my high performance lifestyle.

Starting to get an idea here. Maybe I'm the carrier, but immune from symptoms - if I can infect my opponents before racing commences ....

Beasty

funkyjebus wrote: »

stay away from the shower, legionnaires can be nasty and fatal.

what the hell - I've got to die sometime ....

It's probably been in the system for months already

Apparently this "strain" is only dangerous if I breathe it in anyway - maybe I should just hold my breath ...

Hail 2 Da Thief

Whatever you do don't ask our own Sr. Assumpta for her advice!

100Suns

Wear a hazmat suit or scuba gear into the shower.
Cycle in your mankini-wind effect will evaporate sweat on exposed areas.
Spend more time in close quarters with your employer, coughing incessantly (rub some ammonia and clotted cream on your eyes for effect).
Make a will and say goodbye to your loved ones.

macadam

+1 on the baby wipes, keep them refrigerated and you will see the steam leave rise from the arm pits and the groin areas.

tomasrojo

Beasty wrote: »

23km in (and for manwithaplan, typically 35km+ home - I'm already taking it "relatively" easy on the way in, and pushing hard on the way home) - unless I switch to shorts and lightweight base layer sweat is inevitable at this time of year!

That's a very respectable distance. As you say, sweat is inevitable over that distance. But I think the Baby Wipes or muslin square should do the trick all the same, provided you're not drenched in sweat when you get in.

Beasty

100Suns wrote: »

Make a will

Excellent point. I guess the houses, cars, cash, investments and pension should go to the wife and kids

What about the 5 bikes, plus another dozen or so wheels, spares etc. Any ideas for a worthy cause to bequeath my bike gear to?

100Suns

Beasty wrote: »

What about the 5 bikes, plus another dozen or so wheels, spares etc. Any ideas for a worthy cause to bequeath my bike gear to?

Well maybe tag the gear first to identify what you have been in contact with since you've contracted the Ebola-honta-man flu virus.

jimm

Beasty wrote: »

I'm in a bit of a predicament

I've discovered today that the showers at work have been closed because they are contaminated with legionella bacteria

So what should I do?

Drive to work
Use the showers anyway - sure it can't be that bad
Hang around all day in smelly/sweaty lycra
Phone in sick with symptome of legionnaires disease
Retire from cycling to spend more time in Dublin County North
Transfer to a new job with a longer commute and clean showers

Any other suggestions welcome

Beasty, I am curious as to how the legionella bacteria was discovered.

Does an employer have to have a monitoring/sampling/testing procedure in place for showers, etc, which are used in the workplace?

The reason I ask is that I cycle to work and shower every morning when I get in. TBH, I would be slightly concerned about our showers, as they have never been maintained since they were installed about 5 years ago.

Thanks.

Beasty

TBH jimm it got me thinking this sort of thing could be lurking in the showers at home:eek:

In this case we have offices with a number of tenants - the landlords are responsible for the water supply, but we deal with "internal" maintenance.

We have been in the building only 4 years and have occupied it since it was completed

I work for a large multinational, and I think the company itself does regular checks - I have no idea if it's a legal requirement, and I don't think the other tenants had done any checks. I would ask your employer what "public health" checks are done - they may be happening without your knowledge

Anyway, the strain itself is harmless, but can develop into the full blown thing. I'm guessing I'd probably been using the showers for months with this in the system.

Anyway, they flushed out the system, and the showers have been declared safe. However for anyone racing me in the near future, I would recommend they stay in front of me to avoid any risk of contamination - I'll happily stick to their wheels until the last 100m or so;)

Jawgap

Legionella is found in most water systems - it's the inhalation of water droplets in the form of aerosols that can lead to illness, esp if you are old - oh wait...........


If you are not old, and are healthy you "should" be ok.

clean the shower head and arrange for the system to shock-dosed with Chlorine at 5 ppm - remove any dead ends from the plumbing and ensure it's regularly flushed through..... regular use should take care of that.

If you still get legionella - I claiming first dibs on this :)

shaungil

Way too late I've dibbysied most of Beasty's gear already and those wheels are crying for a trip on the Photon.:D

Cookie_Monster

Shower in a can

kenmc

Sick note. Then you can go cycling all day and have a shower in your own house without fear. AND you get paid for it!

jimm

Thanks. I'll have a word with our safety officer.