Toilet Inactivity Alarm

When visiting the toilets in the office, I'm often left with a slight uneasy feeling if one of the cubicles remains locked and silent throughout my visit. Obviously the most likely reason is that someone is in there about their business, discreetly remaining silent while I'm present - but what if they have lapsed into unconsciousness? They may not be found until the cleaners arrive late in the evening. I also seem to recall reading that heart attacks often occur during toilet use (what a way to go).

The Toilet Inactivity Alarm borrows from a device which I believe is used worldwide by railways. Here in the UK it's known officially as the Driver's Safety Device, and unofficially as the Dead Man's Handle. Basically a buzzer sounds every minute or so, and if the driver fails to respond by pushing a button within a few seconds the brakes are applied on the basis that the driver may be unconscious. A similar device in each toilet cubicle would be enabled when the door was locked, and if the buzzer was not acknowledged would sound an alarm in the office, with a light flashing outside the door of the appropriate toilets. For hygiene reasons the cancel button in the cubicle should probably be replaced either by a pedal or by the kind of proximity sensor which is often used in public toilets, for similar reasons, to trigger the flush.