Pedal bins in disabled/handicapped toilets

[roserodent]

Need I say more? Argh! The hospital has a special design of pedal bin that you cannot open by hand at all. It's to help with infection control so you don't have to touch the bins. So instead you have to lean out of your chair and push the bar where others have put their feet and push it with your hand. You cannot wash your hands afterwards because the paper towel goes in the pedal bin.

Who thinks of these things? Does anyone think?

Comments

[lilacsigil]

The hospital where I had blood taken last week had these! They're not good for people with balance issues either - I have to do a lot of shuffling around to organise my foot to go on the pedal. At least I don't have to touch it with my bare hand, though.

[barakta]

I suspect it's that problem of assuming they're designed for nurses and doctors who are assumed to be able bodied... People don't think of these things cos it's hard to become a nurse or a doctor if you're disabled cos even with legislation they are reluctant to implement reasonable adjustments.

I wonder what alternatives could work and still be infection controlly. Maybe IR controlled or something that was reliable and not false positiving or not working.

[adrian_turtle]

That's horrible. They should know better. The kind controlled by motion sensors have existed for years. The prices came down quite a bit in the last 5 years or so. (In public toilets in the US, they're using motion sensors to make toilets flush automatically when a person moves away, and towel dispensers put out a section of section of paper towel when a hand waves in front of it.) They seem to be used as infection control measures, more than accessibility things. If you have the energy, you might send a letter to management, suggesting it.

For the time being, you might try covering your hand with the damp paper towel when you lean down to push the pedal bar. It's still hard to lean out of the chair to reach, but at least you aren't touching the dirty bar without being able to wash your hands after.