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Maintaining clean amenities is just as important as keeping your site nice and tidy. Employers have a duty to provide adequate workplace amenities/facilities, including toilets, that are in good working order, clean, safe and accessible. 

Not meeting these requirements can lead to a risk of infection, disease, psychosocial harm or infringements/enforcement from the Regulator. Regulators often actively check work sites to ensure workers have access to clean and safe amenities.

When planning amenities on your site, consult with your workers to understand what will be needed. Getting them involved will give you the opportunity to provide information, training and instruction on things like keeping the site amenities clean and reporting any problems.

Portable Toilets

More often than not portable toilets are not maintained in a safe or hygienic way. Employers must make sure that toilets are cleaned and serviced regularly, and, just like plant and other on-site equipment, safe to use and operated the way it was designed to be used.

Toilets should also: 

• Be fitted with a hinged seat and lid
• Be provided with a door that can be locked from the inside
• Have enough water for flushing and washing hands 
• Stocked with toilet paper, rubbish bins and hygienic means to dispose of sanitary items
• Supplied with soap or a suitable alternative such as alcohol based sanitiser

Don’t forget, the toilet should be easy to access in all weather conditions and be placed on  stable, flat ground to ensure it can operate properly.

Drinking water

Clean drinking water must be supplied to workers by installing site water taps as early as possible. If the mains have not been connected, provide workers with drinking water in containers, coolers or flasks. 

Meal and shelter facilities

Workers should have a clean and weatherproof area for meals and rest breaks. Using the garage or a similar sheltered area can be used and be set up as soon as possible. If they aren’t available on-site, workers should be given enough time on their breaks to access eating facilities off-site. Facilities should also include:

• Adequate seating
• Hygienic surfaces for meals
• Rubbish bins and arrangements for regularly disposing rubbish and waste materials

In the early stages of construction a worker can use their vehicle for shelter until a suitable area becomes available.

As always, if you have any questions please give our team a call on 1800 954 702 or contact us.