Construction site managers are required to provide suitable facilities such as toilets and eating areas, to increase workers’ welfare and minimise risk from the work environment.
Operational health and safety laws require employers to provide adequate facilities for the welfare of employees at any workplace under the management and control of the employer.
These requirements include accessible facilities; work environments free from health and safety risks; safe use, handling, and storage of equipment and substances; and access to toilets, drinking water, washing facilities, and eating areas.
Site managers must provide information, training, instructions, and supervision to address health and safety risks, and must monitor workers’ health and workplace conditions as key requirements to prevent illness or injury.
Accessibility is a critical concern, as workers, including those with particular needs or disabilities, must have access to site facilities.
Clean drinking water must always be provided free of charge for workers, and the supply should be easily accessible, close to hot or strenuous work areas, and separate from toilet or washing facilities.
Hygienic facilities for eating, preparing and storing food must also be provided, which can vary depending on the type of workplace, such as a canteen or cafeteria, a dedicated meals area, or allowing time for mobile workers to access other suitable eating facilities.
Workers should have access to secure and accessible storage for personal items like bags, jewellery, medication, or hygiene supplies, and this should be separate from storage provided for personal protective clothing and equipment where contamination is possible.
If workers have to change clothing due to the nature of their work, access to private changing areas with secure storage for personal belongings should be provided.
Certain jobs may also involve dirty, hot or hazardous work, requiring the provision of showering and drying facilities.
On these sites, there should be at least one shower for every 10 workers who may need one, and separate showers for men and women, unless a unisex shower is suitable in small or temporary workplaces.
A WA government guideline for both construction sites and mobile, temporary and remote worksites, recommends that male toilet facilities include a closet pan for every 15 males and a urinal for every 20, while female facilities require one closet pan per 10 females.
Examples of mobile, temporary or remote worksites include roadside clean-up, roadworks, or maintenance works; tree planting or other natural resource management; and archaeological digs.
Urinals are not required for fewer than 10 workers, and if a slab urinal is provided, every 600 millimetres should be regarded as one urinal.
Allowable toilet types are standard temporary toilets, accessible temporary toilets, and sewer-connected toilets.
Conditions in Western Australia and other parts of the country can be harsh for temporary toilets, and they may need to withstand several months of being on-site without breaking or failing, or they may have to survive extreme weather events.
Thus, the design of the toilet is important in ensuring that waste is adequately removed throughout the period for which the toilet is used.
Toilets should have a hinged seat and lid, a lockable door, adequate lighting, signage, be located for convenience and privacy, and be stocked with adequate toilet paper, soap or handwash liquid, paper towel or hand dryer, rubbish bins, and sanitary bins.
The location of toilets on construction sites is important too, and must be situated within 100 metres of construction workers. For multi-storey building sites, a toilet needs to be provided on every second floor.
If a construction site has a tower crane, site managers need to consider providing a fast toilet access option to crane operators, such as a construction hoist.
