A Quick Guide to Welfare
Here are the main things to consider getting to make sure your welfare facilities are exactly as they need to be for your team
What welfare facilities are required on a construction site?
Here at AWS Nationwide, the first thing we arrange on-site for many of our customers is site accommodation, secure storage, and welfare facilities for site personnel.
As a leading UK supplier, we provide ideal work and storage spaces including bespoke office setup, canteens, drying rooms, and toilets. We arrange unit stacking, linking, staircases, compound fencing, furniture, office equipment hire, cleaning, waste management, cess tank servicing, and more!
There are certain welfare facilities that are an absolute necessity, and you can even get in trouble if not put in place. This involves preplanning to arrange getting the items, placing them in appropriate locations on the site, and continuous monitoring throughout the site use.
Here are the main things to consider getting to make sure your welfare facilities are exactly as they need to be for your team:
What welfare facilities are required?
Toilets
Toilet facilities must be provided for workers on site. The toilets must meet these requirements:
- Must be able to flush.
- Have running water that is connected to a mains and drainage system
- Be ventilated and well lit
- Must be cleaned regularly, depending on the frequency of usage.
- Provide an adequate number of toilets
- Men and Women may use the same toilets if lockable
- Toilet paper must always be available
- Sanitary waste bins must be available for female toilets.
A portable toilet can be provided if there is no other option.
- Portable toilets have a limited capacity and will need emptying.
- The number of toilets needed depends on the number of people using them and the frequency of emptying
- The recommended ratio is 1 toilet to 7 persons where portable toilets are emptied once a week.
Washing facilities
- Washing facilities must be next to the toilets and changing areas
- There must be both hot (warm) and cold running water
- Soap and other means must be provided
- Towel and other means of drying must be provided
- Well ventilated and lit
- Sinks must be large enough to wash face, hands, and forearms.
- Showers can be unisex if they are lockable and singular person at a time
If working with lead, asbestos, or tunneling in compressed spaces then a special washing area will need to be provided
Drinking water
- Must be readily available
- Must be supplied from a mains system
- If not running, must be changed frequently to prevent stale/ contamination
- Must be clearly marked as drinkable to prevent mixing with hazardous substances
- Cups or other vessels must be provided
Changing rooms
- Men and Women should have separate changing facilities
- Clothes for work and leisure should be stored separately
- Wet clothes should have a drying facility
- They should not be dried on heaters.
- The heaters they are dried on should be well ventilated and have a high temperature cut out.
Rest
- Shelter from rain and wind
- Multiple tables and seats with backs
- There should be a place to heat up food e.g., microwave.
This is something we at AWS Nationwide can offer, with services such as emptying effluent from portable toilets and welfare units, as well as providing water deliveries. If you want to make sure your welfare facilities are up to scratch, contact us today.