Yesterday my manager and I carried out a risk assement of our conference venue.
Our venue is attached to a church. Just outside the main hall, a tall, arched doorway opens onto stoneclad aisles and rows of pews, and framed icons decorate the walls.
There are three floors, serviced by a small, shaky-looking lift; standing inside it, my manager remarked that she pitied anyone stuck in this particular lift.
When I asked why, she pointed at a hatch. Every lift has one: a square door in the wall, with the red outline of a telephone drawn on it. A pretty important feature, you would think. I know I would like to be able to call for help if trapped in a lift.
She opened the hatch with a raised eyebrow. There was no emergency phone.
There was, however, a small icon of the Virgin Mary where the phone should have been.
I guess the venue owners have a different idea of who you can rely on for help in emergency situations.
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lovely blog you have!
ReplyDeletei wanted to thank you for following my blog and that i'm now a follower of yours :)
I think that's pretty ridiculous. I'm all for freedom of religion but in an emergency situation like being trapped in an elevator, I'd rather not rely solely on the guidance of spiritual figures. I would feel simultaneously outraged and overwhelmingly helpless if I opened up that hatch and was suddenly confronted with an icon of the Virgin Mary instead of a telephone.
ReplyDeleteBut that's just me.
(Also, in reply to your comment on my blog: yep, that tofu salad at Mama Buzz Cafe was pretty damn good. The girl next to me commented on how good it smelled and looked...I later spotted her ordering some and she said "You inspired me!" Haha.)
Arielle, thank you!
ReplyDeleteDiane, I found it funny at the time, but yes, it would severely piss me off if I was actually trapped. Now a Mary shaped phone is something I can fully get behind (somehow I think that might count as blasphemy).