Copper does work but not quickly. You can’t pour something with bacteria into a copper cup and then drink it and expect it to magically kill the bacteria in the cup immediately.
Copper is better elsewhere. Copper door handles are good. Copper pipes are good. Copper handrails and bed side-guards.
Better option altogether is not to have door handles as part of hospital design at all. Washable curtains are perfectly good dividers. Anywhere that does need a door should be pushable in both directions with foot.
I worked in an IPC designed environment for a stint and the designers spent a considerable amount of time selecting the kickplates on the doors (basically the big metal plate on the door from knee level to floor) that allows you to push it open with your foot (also protects regular doors from cosmetic or structural kick damage). Didn’t even know it was a thing but now I notice them everywhere.
I honestly think kick plates should be more visually obvious. I’ve had this idea in the back of my head for years about putting Thatcher’s face on kickplates so you’d get more people to use it consciously instead of ignoring them. Would work brilliantly in most of the UK and it would subconsciously embed our politics in people.
I think it’s learned for some occupations, i.e. you have your hands full, you need to push through a door because your arms are full or you’re pulling a trolley, you turn around and push with your back or leading shoulder, and then prop it with your feet, and then situational for everyone else (like kick plates on one-side of toilet doors that people will use to avoid touching the handles. I use feet preferentially on open doors rather than pushing, even sliding doors.
Copper does work but not quickly. You can’t pour something with bacteria into a copper cup and then drink it and expect it to magically kill the bacteria in the cup immediately.
Copper is better elsewhere. Copper door handles are good. Copper pipes are good. Copper handrails and bed side-guards.
Better option altogether is not to have door handles as part of hospital design at all. Washable curtains are perfectly good dividers. Anywhere that does need a door should be pushable in both directions with foot.
I worked in an IPC designed environment for a stint and the designers spent a considerable amount of time selecting the kickplates on the doors (basically the big metal plate on the door from knee level to floor) that allows you to push it open with your foot (also protects regular doors from cosmetic or structural kick damage). Didn’t even know it was a thing but now I notice them everywhere.
I honestly think kick plates should be more visually obvious. I’ve had this idea in the back of my head for years about putting Thatcher’s face on kickplates so you’d get more people to use it consciously instead of ignoring them. Would work brilliantly in most of the UK and it would subconsciously embed our politics in people.
I think it’s learned for some occupations, i.e. you have your hands full, you need to push through a door because your arms are full or you’re pulling a trolley, you turn around and push with your back or leading shoulder, and then prop it with your feet, and then situational for everyone else (like kick plates on one-side of toilet doors that people will use to avoid touching the handles. I use feet preferentially on open doors rather than pushing, even sliding doors.
The kicking maggie t appeals to me