If you are a business or employer you have a duty to
look after your workers in North Somerset.
As part of your employees’ basic needs you must provide them
with easily accessible and clearly labelled water which is free
from contamination.
You must provide them with sufficient lighting to allow them to
carry out their work safely especially in areas of particular risk
such as traffic routes.
You should also make sure automatic emergency lighting, powered
by an independent source, is available where a sudden loss of light
would create a risk.
Rest facilities should be provided for their use during breaks.
These areas must be clean and located so food cannot become
contaminated.
Canteens or restaurants may be used for rest areas provided
there is no obligation to purchase food. Workers should have the
facility to make or obtain a hot drink.
Suitable rest facilities should be provided for pregnant women
and nursing mothers and they should be near the sanitary facilities
and include the option to lie down.
However, you do not have to provide facilities for smokers but
you must make sure there is an environment where people can work
without being irritated by tobacco smoke.
If staff are required to change into special clothes then
facilities should be available to allow them to change and store
their clothes.
These should be readily accessible and ensure the privacy of
their users. They should also provide seating, a means for hanging
clothes and storage which prevents clean clothes from being soiled
by dirty or wet clothing.
Also there must be an adequate number of toilets available for
use. Men and women can use the same toilet so long as it is in a
separate room and is capable of being locked.
There should be an adequate supply of toilet paper, soap for
washing hands, a means of drying hands, hot and cold running water
and a means for female employees to dispose of sanitary
dressings.
These toilets should be well-lit and ventilated and kept clean
at all times. To help achieve this walls and floors should
preferably be tiled or covered in suitable waterproof material to
make them easy to clean.
The law states that the following number of WCs should be
provided for the following number of people:
Minimum sanitary
requirements
| Number of people at work |
Number of WCs |
Number of washstations |
| 1 to 5 |
1 |
1 |
| 6 to 25 |
2 |
2 |
| 26 to 50 |
3 |
3 |
| 51 to 75 |
4 |
4 |
| 76 to 100 |
5 |
5 |
In the case of men, the following guidance on the number of WCs
and urinals can be referred to:
Minimum sanitary
requirements for men
| Number of men at work |
Number of WCs |
Number of urinals |
| 1 to 15 |
1 |
1 |
| 16 to 30 |
2 |
1 |
| 31 to 45 |
2 |
2 |
| 46 to 60 |
3 |
2 |
| 61 to 75 |
3 |
3 |
| 76 to 90 |
4 |
3 |
| 90 to 100 |
4 |
4 |
A urinal may either be an individual urinal or a section of
urinal space which is at least 600 mm long.
For every 25 people, or part of 25, over 100 an additional WC is
required. In the case of facilities provided for men only this
figure is increased to one urinal for every additional 50
persons.
If staff are likely to become dirty during work then showers should
be provided.
In all these case you must also consider the needs of those
employees with disabilities.
For more information contact
our Food and Safety
team.
