In 1992, the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations updated and replaced a number of individual pieces of legislation regarding toilet and washing facilities. These regulations covered toilet facilities that serviced offices, shops and other places of business, and were created to ensure that places of work will provide a sufficient number of toilets that are clean and suitable for use for their workforce.
At Concept Cubicle Systems, we supply toilet cubicles and washroom accessories to properties across a range of industry sectors. As such, we know the importance of workplaces such as offices and commercial stores providing satisfactory toilets and sanitary facilities for their staff. This is why we have detailed the legal requirements expected of toilets in a place of work below.
Regulation 20 of the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, which sets out all legal requirements for toilets at work, states that:
We are able to supply washroom cubicles and accessories that are easy to clean and maintain so they are ready for the next work day, so if you are in need of new features for your office facilities to help meet regulation standards, get in touch with us today.
The code of practice also states that there is an acceptable minimum number of separate toilet facilities that must be provided in a place of work such as an office. These numbers depend on the number of people, and whether the workgroups in these businesses are entirely male, entirely female or mixed.
If there are between 1-5 people (either all female, or mixed gender) in a place of work, there must be one toilet and one washbasin. This increases to two toilets and two washbasins if employee numbers are between 6-25. For workplaces with between 26-50 employees, there must be three toilets and washbasins available. If your workplace has 51-75 workers, four toilets and four washbasins should be provided. Companies that have 76-100 people working for them have to provide five toilets and five washbasins.
Washrooms in places of work that only have male employees require urinals as well as toilets. If a company office has between 1-15 workers, it must supply both one toilet and one urinal. This increases to two toilets and one urinal if it has between 16-30 employees. For businesses that have between 31-45 people working there, two of each have to be provided. If there are 46-60 workers, three toilets should be available, alongside two urinals. This becomes an equal number if there are 61-75 employees at that location. If your company has 76-90 workers, there must be four toilets and three urinals, while companies with 91-100 employees must provide four of each.
One additional toilet and one additional washbasin must be added for every 25 people over 100, though for an all-male environment, one additional toilet can be provided for every 50 over 100. However, this only applies to male toilets in offices if an equal number of urinals are present.
Under the Equality Act 2010, all organisations have a duty to provide accessible goods and services to all staff members. This includes toilet facilities, and where those with mobility issues or other impairments would find it difficult to use a standard toilet facility, accessible toilets should be made available.
These toilets can be unisex facilities, and should ideally be unisex if the facilities are accessible to the public as well as to your staff. It is preferential that these washrooms are exclusively for the use of those who require the additional facilities they provide.
At Concept Cubicle Systems, we understand that offices and other workplaces should offer suitable, accessible toilets for employees who require them. That is why we can arrange for the building and installation of toilet cubicles in a range of sizes, designed specifically for your needs and the needs of your employees. Call us today and we will be able to discuss what you would like for your business.
If your employees are working remotely, at temporary sites, or locations in which there is no water supply, portable toilets and suitable water containers must be provided as an alternative.
You should also consider ensuring that all toilets in your office are located in convenient areas and are in the vicinity of changing rooms (if necessary). They should, if permanent, also be able to supply hot (or warm) and cold drinking water, as well as have supplies of soap or other means of cleaning hands. In addition to this, there should also be a suitable washroom accessory for drying hands, such as a towel or hand dryer.
Union House, Unit 2A,
Altrincham Business Park,
Stuart Road, Altrincham, Manchester, WA14 5GJ
