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.