19 November 2018 marked 'World Toilet Day', with social media awash with stories of people around the world with little or no access to basic welfare provisions, such as a toilet or washing facilities. However, according to Unite, the problem is also a concern on our own doorstep.
Unite claims that thousands of UK workers do not have access to decent toilets, using examples such as workers in a bank who were encouraged to use a bucket, and bus drivers not given suitable toilet breaks.
In the UK, both the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations SI 1992/3004 (in England, Scotland and Wales) and the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations (Northern Ireland) SR 1993/37 (in Northern Ireland) require workplaces to have sufficient and suitable "sanitary conveniences".
The Regulations both state that the facilities:
There should also be enough toilets and washbasins for those expected to use them.
However, the latest information from Unite suggests that several places of work are breaching this requirement.
Unite's assistant general secretary, Gail Cartmail, said, "Employers have got absolutely no excuse for ensuring toilet dignity and if they fail to do so they should be prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE)."
For more information, see the:
