First and foremost, they matter because your team are at the core of our business and their welfare and site safety should be prioritised above all else. However, it is also a UK legal requirement under CDM 2015 to protect the health, safety and dignity of workers. This set of regulations includes an overview, how to notify a project (F10), construction and building work, legal requirements, frequently asked questions and roles and responsibilities.
The HSE guide on work welfare states that a welfare facility is essential for the well-being of employees and should cover their basic needs plus hygiene, privacy and a level of comfort.
You can access The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 here. Specifically under the section SCHEDULE 2, Regulation 4(2)(b), 13(4)(c) and 15(11), it states the minimum welfare facilities required for construction sites:
Every building site must have clean toilets that are easily accessible. The toilets should have good lighting, ventilation and lockable doors. There should be separate male and female toilets.
Using flushing toilets is the preferred option, but if they are not available, people should use portable chemical toilets instead. Washing facilities must include hot and cold running water, soap, towels, ventilation and lighting and also, in some cases, showers.
Sinks must be large enough for workers to wash their hands adequately, and the tap should not hinder this. The washing area should be far away from the eating and drinking area and male and female washing areas should also be separate.
Drinking water on your site should be free from contaminants and accessible to all your workers. There must be enough to supply the number of people on-site, as well as cups or drinking fountains provided. Bottled water dispensers should be used where this is not possible.
If contractors are required to change clothes, adequate changing areas should be provided, like the toilets, which should be separated into male and female areas. All changing areas must offer seating and places for people to secure personal items. There should also be separate storage for clean and soiled or wet clothing (this should be ventilated and allow wet items to dry). Changing rooms should:
There should be a suitable allocated break room that is clean and free of contaminants. There should be washing facilities nearby and a kettle and microwave as a means to heat food and water for hot drinks. Hygiene standards are important here. There should also be seating and heating or fans, depending on the weather.
It’s highly important to offer suitable welfare facilities to workers, as important as having the correct tools. By providing welfare facilities, you will increase staff comfort and satisfaction, thus boosting productivity.
At Davis Trackhire, we give comfort and convenience to our staff as standard. We are the only company in the UK, within our industry, that has welfare units on all of our trucks. All of our installation vehicles have fully fitted welfare units, containing a toilet, washing facilities, a drying or changing room and a shower. Our cabs also have kitchen facilities with fridges, microwaves and kettles.
As trackway specialists, we are almost always the first on site to carry out a full installation and the last to disassemble and collect. This means we spend a considerable amount of time on-site during both the initial setup and final stages of your event or project, both critical and time-sensitive phases. Because our teams don’t have to leave the site (which is often in remote locations) to access welfare facilities, buy food or drink or change into dry clothing in challenging conditions, we’re able to work far more productively and efficiently. This also keeps team morale high, as all basic needs are readily available and well catered for. Ultimately, this efficiency and well-being translate directly into benefits for our clients. You can read more about the welfare units in our trucks, here.
On emergency call-outs, we can be deployed in very short notice and be at the scene for a long period of time. This means that there has been a lack of time to prepare, and on-site, there will be no additional facilities (i.e. portaloo) aside from the problem and task at hand that needs fixing. We find this is where the welfare units within our cabs are completely essential. For example, our call out for emergency trackway for burst water main on Severn Trent site.
This was a very remote location in Sarn, Powys, Wales, with no close access to WC’s, drinking water or areas to dry clothes, warm up food or make a hot drink. Our cabs we’re able to provide these amenities in very cold winter conditions, allowing our crew to create access as swiftly as possible to ensure the emergency could be reslolved.
During snowy conditions, trackway still needs to be laid, more so than ever, for many projects to create grip and safety against the ice. We had an installation booked for a film project at The Angel of The North. The weather conditions were sub-zero, but our client had scenes they needed to shoot in challenging conditions with limited access for film crew equipment, in a high-tourism area. The job needed to be done as quickly as possible so our staff plus their crew, and actors could be out against the elements for the shortest amount of time.
Our cab welfare facilities ensured no travel into town was necessary for toilet breaks, allowed for a hot meal and hot drinks on breaks and lunch time, a sheltered seating area for pockets of rest and allowed for staff to change into a set of dry clothes after the project in privacy. These basic needs are so much more relevant in freezing conditions, not only for morale but for the prevention of hypothermia.
Extended uses can be our seated area can be used for prayer in a religious context, our showers can be utilised when working on projects where workers have been exposed to raw sewage or stagnant water where E-coli risk is present, and they are also a clean, private environment where medication can be administered, i.e. insulin jabs.
You can read more of our insights, here. Or, if you are interested in hiring trackway for your project, you can speak to our friendly hire desk team.
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