Business practice and regulation
Employee Welfare
You must provide "adequate and appropriate" welfare facilities for your employees. These must be provided unless they are unreasonable in terms of time, cost and physical difficulty.
Welfare facilities include toilets, washing facilities, rest and changing facilities, personal security arrangements (e.g. lockers) and refreshment.
There must be a sufficient number of toilets and washing facilities so that people should not have to queue for long periods to use them. These should be separate for male and female, unless you have a very small number of staff. The facilities must be clean, and provided with toilet paper, soap, drying facilities, and hot and cold running water. They must be well lit, and ventilated to the external air. Sometimes a shower may be necessary.
Facilities for Women
| Number of People | Toilets | Washbasins |
| 1 - 5 | 1 | 1 |
| 6 - 25 | 2 | 2 |
| 26 - 50 | 3 | 3 |
| 51 - 75 | 4 | 4 |
| 76 - 100 | 5 | 5 |
Facilities for Men| Number of People | Toilets | Urinals | Washbasins |
| 1 - 15 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 16 - 30 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 31 - 45 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 46 - 60 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| 61 - 75 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 76 - 90 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| 91 - 100 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
You must provide a supply of clean and wholesome drinking water, which is easily accessible to all employees. Cups should be provided and the taps clearly labelled.
You must consider whether suitable facilities are available to staff working off-site or on temporary sites. If not, temporary arrangements must be provided. Some workers may need to be provided with portable facilities for hand washing.
If the work activity requires employees to change into specialist clothing, you must provide changing rooms and facilities for secure storage of personal belongings. You may need to consider separate storage for clean and dirty clothing, or the provision of laundry facilities.
There should be a suitable seating area for use during breaks. This must be clean and provided with washing facilities nearby and a means of heating water for hot drinks. For further information, contact the HSE information line 0541 545500, or HSE Books, PO Box 1999, Sudbury, Suffolk. Tel: 01787 881165.
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Health and Safety Training
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