Welfare facilities you should have on your construction site  

What is a welfare facility?  

The HSE guide on work welfare says that a welfare facility is somewhere necessary for the wellbeing of employees, this includes toilets, changing and rest facilities, and clean areas to eat, drink and take breaks.

What welfare facilities need to be provided on-site?  

• Clean Toilets
• Washing facilities 
• Drinking water 
• Seating area for breaks
• Means to heat food / water 
• Changing rooms

Toilets and washing facilities 

Every building site must have clean toilets, that are easily accessible. The toilets should have good lighting and 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  

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/ drinking fountains provided. Bottled water dispensers should be used where this is not possible.

Lockers and changing areas.

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/ wet clothing (this should be ventilated and allow wet items to dry).

Changing rooms should:  

• Be readily accessible 
• Contain or lead to, clothing storage and washing facilities  
• Provide seating 
• Provide somewhere to hang clothes 
• Be private 

Rest facilities  

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/ fans depending on the weather of course.  

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.  

We are the only company in our industry that has welfare units on all of our trucks as standard. All of our installation vehicles have fully fitted welfare units, containing a toilet, washing facilities, drying/changing room & a shower. The cabs also have kitchen facilities with fridges, microwaves & kettles. As trackway specialists, we are almost always first on site and last off, this means that we’re able to help you save, significantly, on the cost of welfare on your site.