Six steps
p. [26th March 2003]
p. I’ve noticed that in the toilets (or ‘restrooms’ in US English) of most restaurants in the States, there’s a notice by the washbasins informing employees that they MUST wash their hands before they return to work. I find this both annoyingly patronising towards the employees and slightly unnerving for the customers. Starbucks reached a nadir though: their notice was accompanied by instructions for washing hands with no fewer than 6 steps — accompanied by detailed diagrams. To give you a flavour of this document, step 1 was “turn on taps”. Now I don’t know the Starbucks employees personally, but they seemed like pretty intelligent, well turned-out people who needed no advice on basic personal hygiene. They can manage to remember a complicated coffee order and make a low-fat, no-whip mocha-frappuccino, so I think they can handle simple hand-washing without special instructions. I’m sure that they have the notices there because of some State or Federal law, but it’s really treating people like children.
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There are so many frivolous lawsuits in america that companies have to have frivolous instructions for everything, else someone will figure out a way of getting hurt emotionally (eg by having to wash their hands but not knowing how) so they can sue the company.
Starbucks staff are great !!
To give a clue as to how the sue-everything society is so damaging, in Nevada a pediatrician cn have to pay as much as 100,000+ Dollars for insurance. It is so bad that many are leaving or changing their practices to lower cost ones.----- in iceland there are notices in english which say don't touch the geyser because they are hot. but the american tourists (typically) are the ones who still have to burn themselves to find out.
by jb @ 03/04/2003 12:04 pm • Permalink •
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Often, instructions like those you saw at Satrbucks are required by law. The law typically created in reaction to lawsuits.
I think I've been in Starbucks twice in my entire life. Last visit, I am in there looking for an espresso and stand dumbfounded when the employee called out that my ________ was ready. I had no idea what she said but of course recognized the cup. Taking my cup I asked her again what she called it and I still did not understand: she just shrugged and said "That's what we call it here". Me: "Funny, in the rest of the world it's called an 'espresso'. In France, they call it a coffee." (The staff in France will call it an 'express'.)
by Richard @ 03/04/2003 3:05 pm • Permalink •
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Excessive law suits are depressing. I think we're going that way here too.
jb: That's human nature. As Terry Pratchett puts it in 'Thief of Time' - "Some humans whould do anything to see if it was possible to do it. If you put a large switch in some cave somewhere, with a sign on it saying 'End-of-the-World Switch. PLEASE DO NOT TOUCH', the paint wouldn't even have time to dry."
by bsag @ 03/04/2003 5:04 pm • Permalink •
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I requested that a sign about washing hands be put up in my place of employment, a software company, because I witnessed many people NOT washing their hands. I find it repulsive. I went to the CEO and asked him if I could put up a sign, at least in the men's room, that said, "Please wash your hands: the next thing you shake might be my hand." He suggested a more tactful approach. A couple of weeks later, his administrative assistant put up colored instructions, including statistics about how many germs are spread. As far as step 1 being to turn on the faucet, I'm a tech writer by profession. Every procedure needs a step 1. Sometimes it's click Start ==> Programs, etc. Sometimes it's turn on the faucet.
by prhmusic @ 05/05/2003 3:05 pm • Permalink •
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Just a thought.... you turn the tap on with "dirty" hands then wash your hands and then touch the "dirty" tap to turn it off. Should you wash your hands again?
by Trevor @ 25/08/2003 9:08 pm • Permalink •
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I'm having problems displaying your style sheet - maybe because I'm running safari on OSX?
by life insurance @ 23/11/2003 10:12 pm • Permalink •
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Heres a suggestion. if the restroom has a choice of hand towels or the electronic blow dryers. Choose the hand towels. Use a hand towel to turn off the water also use it to open up the door on the way out. that way you wonât get any germs from people who donât wash there hands at all. As far as the signs in starbucks. It is federal law that all places serving food must post a sign instructing employees on how to properly wash there hands. plus you donât relize how dumb some people are. national geographic took a servey and asked 18 to 20 all over the world questions about the ubited states. when they showed a map of the world and asked where the united states was 10% of people didnât know and every other country except for mexico beat us
by Emily @ 06/12/2003 11:12 pm • Permalink •
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