Pull or push?
Which will it be this time?
Seriously, I really don’t care, but could we please make up our minds and use one or the other when hinging doors in public establishments, places of work, government buildings? Virtually every day I’m afraid I’m gonna smash my face onto the bathroom door of some place or another, on my way in or on my way out. Even worse, imagine crashing unceremoniously on top of the toilet because you pulled too hard on a door that was supposed to be pushed. Apparently contractors don’t have any regard for consistency, people’s noses or our dignity. To make matters worse (and definitely more annoying), apart from inwards or outwards, doors can also be opened from left to right or right to left. Oh, the possibilities!
Enough! I think it’s time the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) gets involved. They have already developed a whooping 19,000 International Standards on things like fasteners, animal traps, even illumination. Why can’t we have guidelines on how to open a door? It wouldn’t take much and there could always be exceptions – clearly marked in neon colors and size 126 font to avoid injuries – for those times when “Push” (in my opinion, the way to go) physically doesn’t work. The world would be a safer place and people would never have to feel like the biggest moron again when they bump onto a door for the umpteenth time that week.
And while we’re on it, let’s make a decision on the correct way to change the toilet paper roll and whether men should have to put the toilet seat down after using the bathroom.
