Toilet facility regulations

Anonymous

We have recently refitted a number of student toilet areas and raised this particular question.

Whilst there is no legal requirement for double doors to be installed, a modesty screen should be inco-orperated within the design, you could also arrange for the urinals and w.c. to be positioned in such a way that that these are not visible when the door is left ajar.

There is a legal requirement for there to be a separating door when toilet facilities are made adjacent to any kitchen area.

michael strand
Member - 8 posts

Edward is correct; an Architect.

Anonymous

Building Regulations state WC's should be separated from any food prep area (eg tea area, kitchen or canteen) by a door.

2 doors and lobby not required by law, but you should consider privacy/ smells/ noise etc. if only for the modesty of the bulding users.

Ideally you should aim to ensure anyone at WC or handbasin is screened when door opens. It may alo be worth considering an extract fan, especially if close to kitchen or areas where people sit or work.

Anonymous

Rik Storah is right (he should be - I taught him!) but the regulation relates to 'any area where food is eaten or prepared' so strictly this ought to include any workplace where people might 'eat' anything ie tea,coffee or even just a bottle of water. To be safe you should probably always include a lobby, which MUST be ventilated, unless you are opening off a corridor or similar space eg lift lobby or entrance lobby. Consideration of visibility goes without saying.

Craig Turnbull - MacRoberts Solicitors
Online advisor - 9 posts

The building regulations require that every toilet must be arranged so that the watercloset (or waterless closet) and washbasin are separated by a door from any room or space used wholly or partly for the preparation or consumption of food. There would appear to be no specific legal requirement for double doors.

Craig Turnbull

Anonymous

the building i currently work in is small and has one small toilet but would like to know if we are required by law to provide a toilet for the customers that come into the premises. these premises are a licencsed bookmakers.

Also we have no hot running water is this allowed?

Trevor Muddimer
Member - 42 posts

Three related queries:

1/ is there an advised ratio of toilets to employeess?

2/ as the use of unisex loos has increased, does the forum here have any experiences to share?

3/ as the use of dry unrinals has increased, does the forum here have any experiences to share?

Anonymous

Re point 3 in Trevor's query; I recently had the misfortune to use the waterless urinals in Gateshead's Baltic - enough said!

Anonymous

Our works canteen had a female toilet, but it was abused and they have shut it. this now means we have no female toilet within about 200 yds canteen and also no handwashing facilites within the same distance.

Is this ok? i would have thought they would have at least had to provide a place for people to wash their hands before eating?

thanks

Anonymous

Apart from the Building Regulations these references may assist those seeking answers to most of the queries raised - if they haven't already resolved them!

Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 and the approved Code of Practice (COP) that goes with these Regs. The COP gives precise details as to numbers of toilets, hand basins etc. required for the number of employees.

Whilst Unisex toilets are not specifically mentioned it does say that "Separate facilities for males and females may need to be provided, except where each toilet is in a separate room capable of being secured from the inside"

Under the same Regulations there is mention of washing facilities which should be "suitable". The definition of "suitable" includes the provision of hot and cold water. It also says that they should be readily accessible - so 200 yds down the corridor probably will not suffice!

The Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) Regulations 1995. These clearly say that toilets must not lead directly on to any room where food is handled, and must be adequately ventilated. Classically this requirement has been overcome by the "intervening ventilated space". i.e. One door, a ventilated space or lobby and then a second door.

Whilst it does not say two doors are required I cannot see how one door only would suffice as this would mean that toilets "lead directly" onto ....



Personal advice - Stay well away from dry urinals unless you are on a caravan holiday and have no option!

Anonymous

And don't forget the hook on the back of the door for your coat - it's in the regs.

Anonymous

As a small employer ( we have 15 staff in total , 5 of which are full time office based...2 of these 5 are female )

What are the laws relating to sanitation bins in a ladies toilet?...We currently have a sanitation bin in our ladies toilet - yet neither of the females employed here have never used it - so every month we are paying to maintain an empty sanitation bin.

The supplier of the bin assures me it is the law that we have to provide a proper bin (presumably from them ).

Would appreciate some guidance

Thanks

Anonymous

Hi

I am aware that under the Workplace (H,S & welfare) Regs both men & women can use the same facilities provided they are lockable from inside and have adequate wash facilities inside. My question is.. is there a law/case law preventing men from using the ladies toilets when they are self contained and lockable from the inside? regards

Anonymous

Hi, can anyone advise, we have erected a decking platform which fits within height/length regs to not require planning permission. The neighbour is threatening to take us to court under 'corporate privacy' since he believes it intrudes on his privacy as it can overlook the room that he works in within his house. We just want to enjoy the sun on a terrace on a hot day. Is there any law about protecting corporate privacy?

Anonymous

I have worked on an offshore gas platform for the last 14 years in catering. In all that time caterers have always had their own toilet facilities and never shared a room room with any other trades apart from the medic.

Are there any laws or regulations stating that caterers should not share rooms and toilets?

Bella Brown
Member - 1 post

I rent an office space, and the toilet accessibility has recently changed from both male and female (they are marked as such) being eassily accessible, with a distance of no more than 50 yards.

I have now been told, for reasons of insurance, the access door on this side of the building to the corridor containing the ladies toilet has to be kept locked, and I am no longer permitted to go through it. I now have to walk all the way round the outside of the building to enter through another exterior door to access the ladies toilet. The distance is about 150 yards.

As I am the only female on the site, things seem unlikely to change. Is there any specifics about distance for toilet location? Personally I think the insurance excuse is a bit feeble too!

Anonymous

Im a self-employed taxi driver, does the company i work for have to supply me a toilet facility.

William Fox
Member - 1 post

I was wondering what the laws are (if any) concerning people plunging a toilet they just clogged? I was told that is left for Maintenance and that we cannot ask people to do that. We can't ask people to have the common courtesy to plunge the toilet they just clogged? I think it's highly unfair to clog a toilet and just LEAVE it for the janitor to deal with. We have about 30 people on this floor and two solitary toilets. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Helen Wallace
Member - 1 post

I am planning to open a coffe shop that also serves snacks and I was wondering if any one could tell me if I am required by law to have toilets for customers.

Craig Miller
Member - 1 post

I am about to open an internet cafe selling soft drinks, muffins etc Do I have to supply a customer toilet?

Anonymous

Can any tell me, should the external door to a toilet have a door closer (this is not a disabled toilet) the toilet is directly next to the kitchen.

Captain Magic
Member - 1 post

Can anyone tell me what the rules are regarding the Number of toilets required for employees? I beilieve you need 1 toilet per so many people, but I don't know what this figure is.

Anonymous

Frome the "Workplace (Health, Safety,and Welfare) Regulations
Minimum ratios of toilet facilities to number of employees:

Number of staff Water closets
5 or below 1
6?25 2
26?50 3
51?75 4
76?100 5
over 100 5
+ 1 for every additional 25 people (or fraction thereof)

Anonymous

I am looking for a little advice...

i have a coffee shop (seats 30)that serves hot paninis/jackets/bagettes etc... do i have to supply a toilet for the customer?
Thanks.

Susan Lock
Member - 3 posts

Hi could anyone tell me what the regulations are in relation to disabled toilets. In that do they have to have a specific layout and certain measurements for what is included in the room, eg, wash basin, rails ect. This for customers using a private members club.

Kate Gardner - Workplace Law Network
Online advisor - 22 posts

Susan
Part M of the Building Regulations covers the requirements of accessible toilets under the DDA regulations. In addition the link to the following web site gives some good information and samples of accessible toilets for both wheelchair and non wheelchair users.
http://www.accesscode.info/buildings/6_9b.htm

Lesley Tracey
Member - 5 posts

We have 12 members of staff who work in a nursery and family community centre. We are refurbishing the centre and would like to provide staff toilet facilities. It has been suggested that staff should use the public facilities, which some people are not happy about. Are there regulations which support our case to provide staff toilet facilities?

David Bromley
Member - 2 posts

Hi
I'm wondering if anyone can help we have a cafe and a very limited space available we would like to put in a disabled toilet does anyone know if it's allright to just have the one toilet for disabled and able body use male and female.

Vanessa Tillian
Member - 4 posts

Hi, I was wondering if anyone could tell me the answer to this - I work in gloucestershire and our water supply at work has been cut off due to severe flooding. We have been told that it will not be back on for 3 days leaving us with no use of toilets/sinks/drinking water. Is this illegal for us to work in these condtions?

thanks

Susan Tillian

David Roberts
Member - 2 posts

Can anyone let me know if there is any regulations governing the requirement for lift of doors on toilets to enable access should someone have collapsed inside with the door locked.

Pauline McLean
Member - 1 post

I am trying to find out what the specified guidelines are (if there are any at all) to how many disabled toilets are required within an office building. I have been told that it is one per building, with a recomendation that it should be located in the ground floor area.

I have a strong feeling that there must be some ratio in terms of size, layout of building and how many registered disabled staff on site.

Alex Davies
Member - 11 posts

Please use the link below for information on the provision of disabled toilets. This should answer your questions.

http://www.workplacelaw.net/display.php?resource_id=9028

Kevin Twohigg
Member - 1 post

Hi,
I work in a Government Department employing 1000 people. We have adequate toilet facilities for disabled staff, but one has complained that the disabled toilets are often used by able-bodied staff, thus restricting his access. He has asked whether there is any specific legislation preventing these facilities being inappropriately used. I doubt that there is, but has anyone else encountered this problem, and if so, how have they policed it?

janet burton
Member - 103 posts

Re the coffee shop queries, if you provide seating space for customers to eat/drink on the premises you must also provide toilet(s). In shopping centres you will often find the centre toilets being considered as 'on the premises', but I believe that food shops in them contribute to the upkeep of the toilets as part of the contract.
Read the legislation for numbers - I believe it depends on numbers expected / able to use the premises at one time.
Re able-bodied people using the disabled toilet - no, it is not against the law. It is an accessible toilet - best scenario would be for all toilets to be accessible, but they usually settle for having only one accessible for disabled people because of the extra space needed. Make the 'standard' loos less cramped and inaccessible and people probably won't use the 'disabled' toilet unless they actually are disabled. Example is the ladies loos near me where a high sanitary bin is squeezed in next to the loo so close it is touching it and you end up sitting on it - very uncomfortable and unhygenic.

Suzanne Davies
Member - 3 posts

Just because toilets are designed & installed as to be suitable for use by less-abled folk does not prevent able- bodied folk from using them - Use is not restricted to 'disabled' folk as that would be discrimination, surely?
Sometimes we all have to wait to use the loo. If your disabled member of staff needs immediate access to the loo one would hope that this can be addressed in a quiet & sympathetic manner by all concenred.

Katie Dock
Member - 3 posts

Kevin, your employer has provided accessible toilets in the office as part of its duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled employees under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).

The Code of Practice for Part 2 of the DDA – which deals with employment and occupation – talks about the need for employee cooperation in certain situations. To quote, point 5.22 says:

‘In some cases a reasonable adjustment will not work without the co-operation of other employees. Employees may therefore have an important role in helping to ensure that a reasonable adjustment is carried out in practice. Subject to considerations about confidentiality … employers must ensure that this happens.
It is unlikely to be a valid defence to a claim under the Act that staff were obstructive or unhelpful when the employer tried to make reasonable adjustments. An employer would at least need to be able to show that it took such behaviour seriously and dealt with it appropriately. Employers will be more likely to be able to do this if they establish and implement the type of policies and practices described at paragraph 2.12.’

If the disabled employee raises the issue with his/her manager, the manager has a duty to investigate the situation to see why it is happening – it could be that general toilet provision is not good enough, or it might be that people simply don’t want to walk around the corner to another toilet. Don’t forget, though, that some people might have a disability that is hidden, but which means they find it easier to use the accessible toilet.

Being a public sector organisation, your employer has an additional duty to proactively promote equality for disabled people, which is called the Disability Equality Duty.

If you want more advice about this, you’re welcome to give us a call at the Centre for Accessible Environments. Visit www.cae.org.uk for more details.

action jackson
Member - 1 post

hi,

i work in an office which has two floors of a building floors 1 and 4 the othetr two being used by other firms we have two WC on each floor one male one female. On my floor 4the there are 6 males and no females we want to turn both toilets to male. One of thr ladies from floor one has complained as she ocasionally uses it. Is there any reg stopping us changing it over

John Lund-Conlon
Member - 1 post

In a public tea-room do I have to provide both a male and female toilet and do I have to supply a disabled toilet if I am very short of space? Is it linked to the number of "covers"?

sarah smith
Member - 1 post

Hi i run a small sandwich bar which is mainly take-away but with some seating. wew have now bought the whole property and need to put in toilets. the shop is split into two units one half sandwich bar the other smaller half a barbers shop, we need to renovate and don't know the toilet laws. they will be shared between the two shops we will both have an entrance for our staff and customers in total if we are both full we may have 30 customers at any one time and 4 max staff can we just have one disabled toilet for all to use, or one disabled and one other, can they be unisex whats the door rule im told there is a two door rule.

on another matter whats the fire proofing rule do all ceilings have to be double tacked.

Fire exit, i am told because of the size of the barbers there is no need for a fire exit is this true.

plus as the sandwich bar is small with only 16 seats max do i need to provide customers with a second fire exit other than the front door as this would mean customer going through the kitchen and prep area and through two corridoors. space is a big issue, we dont have much.

Amanda Longden
Member - 1 post

A couple of questions regarding toilet ans washing facilities. In a manufacturing factory, do they company have to provide a sink for the preparation of food/washing pots etc which is seperate to the small hand baisin adjacent to the toilet? Currently there are other facilities in a seperate area but we have been 'banned' from using them. We now have 1 toilet for 12 male employees, no urinal and a small hand basin with no hoty water which is in an area adjacent to the toilet. The 'canteen' is at the other end of the factory but has no running water of any kind

Mac Kenner
Member - 1 post

Re the disposal of sanitary towels: the regs state "In the case of water closets used by women, suitable means should be provided for the disposal of sanitary dressings." Does anyone know what the guidance on the minimum action required here is. We pay a fortune for empty bins to be cleared on a fortnightly basis.

Thanks in anticipation of advice

v v
Member - 1 post

I have just started work in a new all male company of 15 employees. There are 2 unisex toilets (1 is a disabled toilet).

My boss has asked me to look into the legal requirements for sanitary disposal and availablility (e.g. the towel/tampon sales units that are fixted to the wall) but I can't find anything on the 1992 Work legislation, however ALL the sanitary disposal collection sites state it is a legal requirement!

Please can anyone advise what the law ios on this.
Many thanks

ben alcock
Member - 1 post

How many toilets are required for an office building employing 230 people and which has 50 visitors per day. How many Male and Female W.Cs are required and Ass W.C's

Charles Buckton
Member - 7 posts

Table 1: Number of toilets and washbasins for mixed use (or women only)

Number of people at work Number of toilets Number of washbasins
1-5 1 1
6-25 2 2
26-50 3 3
51-75 4 4
76-100 5 5

Table 2: Toilets used by men only

Number of men at work Number of toilets Number of urinals
1-15 1 1
16-30 2 1
31-45 2 2
46-60 3 2
61-75 3 3
76-90 4 3
91-100 4 4

P P
Member - 1 post

We have had a recent problem on our site that has been raised though a member of staff about able bodied Staff using the disabled toilets, we had a DDA specialist come in and recommend that we use signs to say that these toilets are for disabled use only, Can we do this by law? I was always lead to believe that we couldn't

rachael hickman
Member - 1 post

I work for a small firm, who currently have two toilets, one male and one female, there are 2 women and 7 men and customers use these facilities also. I s there any law banning men from using the ladies as they abuse this facility, and quite honestly it stinks after they use ours....... sorry x should they wait for the gents to become free and use there own cause it is very very unpleasant when we have to hold ourselves or be phisyically sick. Please reply as soon as possible, cause i am gonna get a yale lock very soon and that will stop the buggers...

thank you. Rachael Hickman

Iain Sanderson
Member - 42 posts

There is no requirement to have separate toilets for men and women. Having worked where there are unisex toilets women can be equally as bad with overpowering stench of hairspray and perfume and bits of makeup left lying around - although this may be some of the men but I doubt it!!

janet burton
Member - 103 posts

Rachel - Sounds like an extractor fan is needed!
Don't attack it from the men vs women angle, attack it from the hygeine and workplace comfort angle.
PP - Re disabled use only, the law says you must have the accessible toilet, not that just disabled people can use it. You can put up the sign (as long as the toilet is not included in the minimum necessary under the regulations), and it may act as a deterrent, but you cannot enforce it. Apart from anything else, disabilities are not always visible - someone needing to change an incontinence pad would probably prefer to use the disabled loo where bins are to hand, for example.

ruth malkin
Member - 8 posts

Toilets, our favourite subject...
Re accessible toilets (please don't keep calling them 'disabled' toilets) - the provision is for people who require them. You should do your very best to stop non-disabled people from using them, just like blue badge parking spaces. And yes, I know that some impairments are not obvious - all of mine are hidden! What you get is an accessible toilet in a convenient place and everyone wants to use it because they can't be bothered to go round the corner/up the stairs to get to their own toilet (particularly a problem in pubs). This is unacceptable and I think could well lead to a case under the Disability Discrimination Act. Of course, architects could help the situation by making sure that the toilets are all in the same area, but this is not a perfect world.
As you can see from other threads, there are ratios of toilets per potential user. However, very often (and mistakenly in my view) there is only one accessible toilet regardless of how many people may actually need it. Therefore there is already pressure on the accessible toilet facility if there is more than one disabled person in the building (and why wouldn't there be? 1 in 5 people have a disability that is covered by the DDA, rising to 1 in 3 of people over the age of 60. The highest percentage of these are people with mobility impairments). Sometimes people's impairments means that they need a facility very quickly. Sometimes people's impairments mean that it takes longer to use a facility than general users. All of these things are problematic enough if you only have one accessible toilet - impossible if there are other people using it.
The answer is more accessible mainstream toilet facilities. If it is possible, make sure that there are wider cubicles in your main toilets, preferably with grabrails, so that people who have mobility impairments who do not need the extra space can use those.
Some building designers have gone one stage further and designed buildings where all the toilets are at least part M compliant so that they can be used by everyone. However, you should be aware that some people from some cultural backgrounds are uncomfortable with the idea of using a facility that is unisex, so it is desirable to have male and female only facilities available as far as it is possible.
If you want any more information about this subject or any other information about access for disabled people contact us on admin@mdpag.org.uk or look on our website www.mdpag.org.uk. Ruth, Manchester Disabled People's Access Group

chris mogg
Member - 1 post

if a portacabin is used as a temporary building for a youth club, with an outlook in moving in about 5 years is it ok to use the toilets in an adjacent building just a few mtrs away ? but i dont think they have an accessible toilet and if the answer is yes what sort of wash facilities would the toilets need ?

thanks for advice :)

Barry Lang
Member - 7 posts

Hello

My understanding is that Unisex cubicles within a toilet block also have to be full height with a full height door, for the obvious reasons or have I got it wrong.

Barry

Margaret Boyson
Member - 1 post

We are a private members sports club with more than 25 members. Our clubhouse is leased.
We have a disabled toilet in each changing room.
Our problem has occured since a member's wife has had a stroke and has become seriously handicapped. She comes to the club a few (3-4) times a year.
We are being told we have to provide a unisex disabled toilet so that the husband can attend the wife without entering the ladies changing rooms.
This would mean major building work and would reduce the facilities available to the ladies.
Would an alternataive such as fit ting a curtain, which with the cooperation of members could be drawn as needed to screen the main changing room from view.

james birse
Member - 1 post

i was wondering if there is a regulation of when to apply a toilet to a workplace construction site... there dosent seem to be a time scale...from day 1...apparently its 3 days in CDM...
but dont people have to use a toilet every day including day 1..

Ben Jenkinson
Member - 5 posts

James,

reference your question regarding welfare at construction sites, you are right with your closing comment; welfare should be provided at any construction site, transient or fixed, whatever the duration of the works.

See HSE information sheets 46 for transient, like road repair gangs, and information sheet 18 for fixed sites.

The need for welfare at construction sites is a duty to comply with the Workplace (Health Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, and the CDM approved code of practice does state that there should be adequate welfare facilities provided from the start of a project, and that in my mind means day 1, the first thing to set up.

The construction industry is very backward in its thinking towards this, you wouldn't expect to work in an office with nowhere to boil a kettle or go to the loo, so why should we expect construction workers to do the same?

janet burton
Member - 103 posts

Margaret -
It is a difficult situation, but the most they can ask for is a reasonable adjustment to cope with the disability - for someone visiting a few times a year, a curtain and support from staff in organising it is a reasonable adjustment.
Major building works would only be a reasonable adjustment if it was essential and a regular visitor- perhaps not even then, though the situation is one to keep in mind if ever refurbishments are planned. For example - providing one unisex combined disabled toilet/changing facility in a different location to the other changing rooms may be feasible.
What is reasonable is the key factor in any accessibility issue like this.

Sasha Macaffer
Member - 1 post

I have come into work today to find that my company have not paid the water bill and as a result the water has been cut off. I work in an office with 16 people. We have been and bought bottled water to drink but cannot use the toilets. Are there any laws on such conditions? Are we allowed to go home?

Kevin Brown
Member - 116 posts

- depends how long you're prepared to put up with it. Your employer would appear to be in breach of the Workplace (Health, Safety & Welfare) Regs re failure to provide access to drinking water and sanitary facilities.

Nigel Dupree
Member - 51 posts

Hi Sasha,
If water bill unpaid has your employer got ya wages for end of week ?

Or are you just coming in til the phone is cut off ?

Do you think you might not have been consulted ?

Alex Gordon
Member - 27 posts

Contact your LA Environmental Health Unit and they should have someone round to issue an improvement notice.

paul dennis
Member - 2 posts

I am opening a pet shop my mum and wife will be working there only. Can you tel me do i have to have two doors to the sink as this will not be a eating arer.

julie ford
Member - 1 post

do you have to have toilets in all cafes