Wednesday, September 21, 2011

A towel has immense psychological value

Can someone please tell me why paper towel dispensers in public bathroom are placed so high up on the wall?  Really . . . you go into a restroom and do whatever it is you have to do, you wash your hands and when you reach for a paper towel the water drips down your arm and into your sleeves because the thing is hanging so high on the wall.  Admittedly, I'm not the tallest Amazon in the tribe but still  . . . 
You would think some brainiac engineer would determine the recommended position of a dispenser based on the median height of the person using the device.  You'd think, wouldn't ya?  The average woman in the United States is a little over 5'3" . . . I'm not that much shorter than that.  So why do I have to reach up over my head to grab a flimsy piece of paper to dry my hands?  
Just askin' cuz it doesn't make any sense to me.

Furthermore, public bathrooms are supposed to be handicap accessible.  It's safe to assume that means that someone in a wheelchair should be able to roll into the bathroom, into a stall and have the facilities to use the toilet available to them . . . but this apparently doesn't mean that they get to dry their hands because most of those paper towel holders would be out of reach.  
Well, guess what?  There's a federal ADA regulation dictating the height of a paper towel dispenser in public bathroom.   A forward-reaching, unobstructed towel dispenser and those with obstructions must be placed between 15 and 48 inches off the ground. 

Okay, that's reasonable but it's been my personal observation there are a lot places breaking federal laws.  Just sayin'.













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