We all expect to be able to use a washroom whenever we need one. But there are many people who struggle to find a hygienic toilet during their working day. Lee Radzki from Tork manufacturer Essity considers this issue and evaluates the importance of public washrooms to cater for people who have no permanent work base.
Earlier this autumn, an argument between TFL and a householder concerning a temporary toilet made national headlines. Surrey property-owner Brett Kemp was annoyed when a portable toilet for bus drivers was placed outside his house.
Transport for London said the toilet was an essential facility to provide drivers with access to a washroom during their daily route. But Kemp was trying to sell his property and complained that the toilet was putting off potential buyers.
This story highlighted the fact that washroom access is a problem for many employees such as postal workers, delivery workers and transport drivers. HM chief inspector of railways Ian Prosser underlined these concerns in the Office of Rail and Road annual health and safety report last year. He claimed it was unacceptable that the industry was still failing to provide adequate toilet facilities for staff, despite this being a legal requirement.
The Workplace Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations 1992 state that all workers should have safe access to toilets and handwashing facilities. These should be conveniently located, protected from the weather and available whenever they are needed.
The issue seems to be a particular problem for women. A 2023 Unite union survey revealed that thousands of women lacked access to clean, working and properly-stocked toilet facilities in their workplace – a problem that was particularly prevalent in the transport sector.
40% of female bus drivers said they only sometimes or occasionally had access to clean toilets with soap and toilet paper while 5% said they never had access to adequate toilets at all.
There are logistical problems associated with providing washrooms for staff when on the move – as the press report about Brett Kemp and TFL underlines. Train drivers are particularly disadvantaged since it is hardly feasible to stop a train for a comfort break during a journey. A recent report by the Rail Safety and Standards Board revealed that every driver questioned had restricted their fluid intake at some point to avoid having to use a washroom. They also reported medical conditions such as kidney and urinary tract infections as a result of this practice.
While various initiatives are being considered to make life easier for transport workers, the issue highlights the importance of publicly-available washrooms for everyone – and the need to keep them open.
Public toilets are on the decline. A recent report released under the Freedom of Information Act revealed that their number has been cut by 14% since 2018/2019 with factors such as anti-social behaviour, vandalism and budget restraints responsible for many closures.
The fact that there is no statutory duty for local authorities to provide public toilets makes closing them an easy budget-cutting decision. And it is true that washrooms can be expensive to run as well as being a frequent target for vandalism resulting in costly repair bills. However, there are ways of reducing the costs and labour required to service them.
Long-lasting systems for soap and paper will help to prevent run-outs and reduce the need for frequent maintenance checks. All dispensers should be quick and easy to top up, and technology should be used to remotely monitor refill levels to avoid unnecessary service visits.
Jumbo toilet rolls are often supplied in public toilets because they offer a high capacity. However, they need to be periodically checked to ensure that the supply has not been allowed to run out. Cleaners may then be tempted to replace a roll before it has been completely used to avoid having to make a repeat visit, and this can push up paper costs.
The Tork SmartOne Twin Mini Toilet Roll System is a good alternative since a new roll can be inserted at any time to ensure a continuous supply. The system reduces consumption by up to 40% [1] compared with jumbo roll dispensers since it delivers one sheet at a time, while the SmartCore core removal system enables fast and easy refilling.
Air dryers require no refilling or checking – but they can lead to extra cleaning. As air dryers blow water away from the hands this often leads to puddles on the floor. And if visitors tramp this water around with muddy feet, the floor will need to be cleaned more frequently.
A high-capacity hand towel dispenser will reduce the number of refill checks to a minimum. The Tork PeakServe Continuous Hand Towel Dispenser caters for over 1000 washroom visitors between refills and a new bundle of towels may be inserted into the unit at any time. And the dispenser has been designed to give out sheets of paper singly to avoid excess use and keep down costs.
Bulk fill soaps need to be manually refilled which can be both messy and time-consuming. Any spills will also have to be quickly removed, and this will add to the cleaner’s workload. Soap should therefore be supplied in cartridges that can be snapped quickly into place.
Tork Foam Soaps are supplied in sealed cartridges that each cater for up to 1650 visitors, helping to reduce consumption by up to 50% compared with a liquid refill of the same size. This helps to prevent runouts while the fact that the sealed cartridge can be replaced in seconds speeds up the task of refilling for the cleaner.
Technology in the washroom can further help to ensure a continuous supply of soap and paper while reducing the number of maintenance checks required. Tork Vision Cleaning allows cleaners to check on refill requirements via a smartphone or tablet, allowing them to spot immediately when a dispenser is running low.
There are other measures that will improve efficiency and keep down costs in the public washroom. For example, automatic lights and taps will lower electricity and water bills, while sensor-operated taps will require less cleaning than manual versions.
Transport chiefs are looking at various initiatives to make life easier for workers including the introduction of portable toileting devices, welfare vehicles and mobile chemical loos. They are also cognisant of the fact that increasing numbers of drivers are either female or aged 50 and over and may need to make more frequent toilet visits, which means washroom provision needs to be adapted accordingly.
Hopefully this will lead to a new understanding by the authorities of the importance of washroom provision for remote workers – and indeed, for the rest of us.
[1] Statistics from internal research on 7729 users in Europe. Traditional maxi jumbo dispenser vs. Tork SmartOne® Twin Mini dispenser. Reduction accounted in square metre used per visit.
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