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I wonder if someone knows if there is a requirement under either the Health and Safety at Work or a Building Regulation that hot water should be provided in a toilet in an office building?
My firm has the top two floors of a three storey building. The first floor toilets have hot water, the kitchen on the first floor also has hot water, but the toilets on the second floor has not had hot water since I joined 1.5 years ago. I have mentioned it several times to the office manager and nothing happens.
It would appear that any maintenance costs are covered by the company rather than the landlord, by a strange setup of the lease!
Is it OK for hot water to be only provided in one set of toilets rather than in all and every toilets?
I wonder if someone knows if there is a requirement under either the Health and Safety at Work or a Building Regulation that hot water should be provided in a toilet in an office building?
My firm has the top two floors of a three storey building. The first floor toilets have hot water, the kitchen on the first floor also has hot water, but the toilets on the second floor has not had hot water since I joined 1.5 years ago. I have mentioned it several times to the office manager and nothing happens.
It would appear that any maintenance costs are covered by the company rather than the landlord, by a strange setup of the lease!
Is it OK for hot water to be only provided in one set of toilets rather than in all and every toilets?
Cheers,
John
Depends what the firm is doing/making. If it is just offices, then I doubt that hot water is regarded as and H&S necessity as long as there is a means of washng your hands.
The maintenance 'thing' is quite normal for a fully repairing lease
Yes, it is just an office - no manufacturing, etc.
I just find it strange that people have to walk through the office, down two flights of stairs, use key pads to open sets of doors just to get to hot water - all after using the facilities upstairs. Do not shake anybodies hands in my office ;-)
The office manager was suprised when I mentioned recently that there was no hot water upstairs, although I had mentioned it soon after I started with the company! Selective memory = saving the company money. They have recently been stung with £9000 new boiler bill.
Im afraid they do not need to supply hot water to every floor, ok it would be nice but under the health and safety regs there is nothing. Only that a means of sanitation is required and that any 1 WC serves no more than 10 people. ie 55 people in building then 6 WC's would be needed.
I think if you make to much of a fuss about it, all they will do is close the upper toilets down and make you use the lower floor ones. Which is deemed to be perfectly ok...
sorry mate health and safety has gone too far, as far as many people are concerned but when it comes to having hot water in every loo they dont cover you !
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You could technically argue that the employer has breached his duties under S.20 (1) and (2) of The Workplace (health safety and welfare Regs)
In respect of s.s (2)(b) “orderly” may be interpreted as suitably maintained, therfor if provision was originally made for hot water and this has failed due to poor maintenance there is a duty to ensure it is reinstated.
Sanitary conveniences
20.—(1) Suitable and sufficient sanitary conveniences shall be provided at readily accessible places.
(2) without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (1), sanitary conveniences shall not be suitable unless—
(a) the rooms containing them are adequately ventilated and lit;
(b) they and the rooms containing them are kept in a clean and orderly condition; and
(c) separate rooms containing conveniences are provided for men and women except where and so far as each convenience is in a separate room the door of which is capable of being secured from inside.
(3) It shall be sufficient compliance with the requirement in paragraph (1) to provide sufficient sanitary conveniences in a workplace which is not a new workplace, a modification, an extension or a conversion and which, immediately before this regulation came into force in respect of it, was subject to the provisions of the Factories Act 1961, if sanitary conveniences are provided in accordance with the provisions of Part II of Schedule 1.
You could technically argue that the employer has breached his duties under S.20 (1) and (2) of The Workplace (health safety and welfare Regs)
In respect of s.s (2)(b) “orderly” may be interpreted as suitably maintained, therfor if provision was originally made for hot water and this has failed due to poor maintenance there is a duty to ensure it is reinstated.
I have just looked up this Regulation and found the next section very interesting:
Washing facilities
21.—(1) Suitable and sufficient washing facilities, including showers if required by the nature of the work or for health reasons, shall be provided at readily accessible places.
(2) without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (1), washing facilities shall not be suitable unless—
(a) they are provided in the immediate vicinity of every sanitary convenience, whether or not provided elsewhere as well;
(b) they are provided in the vicinity of any changing rooms required by these Regulations, whether or not provided elsewhere as well;
(c) they include a supply of clean hot and cold, or warm, water (which shall be running water so far as is practicable);
(d) they include soap or other suitable means of cleaning;
(e) they include towels or other suitable means of drying;
(f) the rooms containing them are sufficiently ventilated and lit;
(g) they and the rooms containing them are kept in a clean and orderly condition; and
(h) separate facilities are provided for men and women, except where and so far as they are provided in a room the door of which is capable of being secured from inside and the facilities in each such room are intended to be used by only one person at a time.
(3) Paragraph (2)(h) shall not apply to facilities which are provided for washing hands, forearms and face only.
I think Section 21, sub-section 2 paragraphs (a) and (c) are most relevent ;-)
Health and Safety at Work or Buildong Regs?
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Originally Posted by johnhowell
