What Internship Looks Like XX: Bathrooms, Take 2

Remember when I referred to a hospital bathroom with automated hand-washing/drying fixtures as "a germaphobe's worst nightmare"? Well, I found the next level of purgatory: 

You can observe the evolution of sanitary technology in this lady's room at a different hospital. The automatic sinks (with manual soap pumps) are to the right in the first photo (stalls behind). On the wall you see the big black paper-towel dispenser. But that's not very environmentally friendly, so 90 degrees to the left--next to the trash can--is a silver automatic hand dryer. The white leaf in the green cross announces that it is energy efficient. 

However, the door has to be pulled open inwards, or the automatic switch pressed, which would dirty one's hands again. So they mounted a small silver container for paper wipes you can use to touch the door handle (above). So we're back to paper waste again, because if the door could be pushed open outward with one's shoulder or hip, it would impede traffic in the busy hallway on the other side.

Nevertheless, if you look closely in the patterned tile "chair rail" in the second photograph, you can see a tiny black rectangle. That is the touch-free, motion-sensor door opener that allows one to wash and dry hands and escape the restroom with minimal contact with potentially contaminated surfaces. At last, the solution to the germaphobe's persistent question, "Are my hands clean after going to the bathroom?"

Older

Newer