Employee toilet facilities: responsible employers make bathrooms better

Employee washrooms really matter – because everyone deserves clean, hygienic, and safe toilets

The availability, quality and cleanliness of toilets affects everyone. On average, people in the UK visit the bathroom between six and eight times every day, say our friends at Harpic. That equates to about 2,500 times every year. Added up, this means each person could spend up to three years of their lives visiting the loo!

When you’re an employer, that creates a big responsibility. Since everyone spends so much time using the bathroom, it makes a big difference when employees have adequate, clean, pleasant, well-supplied washrooms.

That means employers can’t simply provide toilets and just leave them for the overnight cleaning crew to keep toilet rolls topped up.  Bosses need to put active thought into the type, quantity, and maintenance of the facilities they provide.

When businesses actively consider washroom conditions – rather than dismissing them as a basic “must have” – it makes visits pleasant, not something to be endured. When workers feel like they have a clean, hygienic, well-supplied bathroom, the entire working environment feels better.

Employee toilet responsibilities and regulations

Employers have legal responsibilities, too – because toilets and washrooms form part of health and safety for workers.  HSE guidelines say that there must be enough loos for workers, and that they must be clean (and easy to keep clean), and have adequate supplies of toilet paper, soap, and a hygienic way of drying hands, like paper towels.

The UN is urging everyone to play their part – however small – to meet the Sustainable Development Goal for sanitation. That includes fixing leaks and ensuring safe, appropriate disposal of waste.  Each year in November it sponsors World Toilet Day, which raises the awareness of this critical utility for 3.5 billion people who simply don’t have them.

Of course, adequate toilets aren’t just an issue for November, but for every day.  But it is a great time for employers to ask themselves whether their facilities are sparkling, or just bog standard.

Show your commitment to the health, safety and experiences of your staff by keeping your toilets and washrooms clean, in good repair, and well stocked with janitorial supplies. You could even consider adopting this important issue as a corporate social responsibility initiative. You can even download World Toilet Day posters, factsheets and social media campaign material to do your bit to spread the word about the importance of safe sanitation.

Avanti helps its business customers ensure their own washrooms and toilets are fresh and filled with the essential janitorial supplies they need – if we can help you do the same, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Avanti, or browse our eCommerce shop and order your washroom cleaning and refill supplies direct.