10 replies to this topic

[betty01]

Working in a food storage factory, can anyone tell me how many toilets and which facilities are required to comply with the BRC standards?

 

When alterations to the factory are made next year we will only have 1 toilet cubical in a room with a urinal, off the main tearoom. This is a mixed use toilet.

 

There are on average 8 men and 1 lady on site daily. There has a potential to be more than 12 men on site and between 2 and 4 ladies depending on the time of year and what contractors are on site working.

 

The only ladies changing facility and personal locker is located in a seperate building (seperate company) at the opposite end of the yard, meaning a 10minute walk outside in the food safe clothing, before reaching the work place factory. (no matter what the weather). This is also the distance that will need to be travelled to have access to personal belongings on a tea break.

 

Any information on standards and expectations on showering facilities for the ladies would be greatly appreciated.

[Scampi]

So since the facility is undergoing some structural changes............change this REGARDLESS of the BRC code

 

A) both genders should have access to facilities on site (not having it is illegal in Canada and I would assume elsewhere----check with your labour/employment laws)

 

B) no one should be walking for 10 minutes to reach the loo-----that's inconsiderate at best

 

C) the clothing is no longer food safe once it's been outside 

[betty01]

Thank you for your reply!

The problem being the 1 toilet in the tearoom has had a mixed gender use sign added so this can be used instead of walking 10minutes.

But with this facility having a seperate toilet cubicle to the urinal, men tend not to lock the main door so ladies who walk in to use the cubicle are met with a man using the urinal!

 

Is there a standard anywhere which states seperate facilities should be used for each gender? I know 1 lady to 8 men is not alot?

[Scampi]

Here you go

 

You should have 2 for EACH gender if i'm reading this link correctly

http://www.hse.gov.u...aqs/toilets.htm

 

 

Now's your chance to force gender equity.......I would quit under those circumstances.........talk about being treated as less than

Edited by Scampi, 30 January 2019 - 02:03 PM.

[Adam.F]

Hi,

 

We're a BRC accredited manufacturer with only 6 full time employees, we've got 2 mixed use toilets so all staff have to share. There's no requirement from a BRC perspective to have separate toilets for males and females. 

 

Just on the separate building part of your query: 4.8.1 of the standard states that "Designated changing facilities shall be provided for all personnel, whether staff, visitor or contractor. These shall be sited to allow direct access to the production, packing or storage areas without recourse to any external area. Where this is not possible, a risk assessment shall be carried out and procedures implemented accordingly (e.g. the provision of cleaning facilities for footwear)"

Edited by Adam.F, 30 January 2019 - 02:04 PM.

[Scampi]

Thanks Adam.F

 

I urge everyone to remember that the GFSI's are NOT the law and we firstly have to comply with regulation and legislation.....then you add GFSI standards on top

[betty01]

Sharing is not an issue until you walk in on a co worker with his trousers down! then there are issues.

 

Yes, all workers should have direct access to the workplace and changing facilities. If one has to walk ten minutes from changing to the work area then they all should?

 

But sureley there is a standard for the safety clothing?

Walking ten minutes from the changing facility to the work area, outside exposed to all eliments, if it is raining or a thunder storm for example, is not only detrimental to the workers health but also on a food safety issue only having to clean your footwear is not enough of a standard surely?! what if a bird shits on you? your expected to walk all the way back to get changed? If your soaked through after your walk to the work area, are you expected to work soaked and cold?

[pHruit]

Here you go

 

You should have 2 for EACH gender if i'm reading this link correctly

http://www.hse.gov.u...aqs/toilets.htm

 

 

Now's your chance to force gender equity.......I would quit under those circumstances.........talk about being treated as less than

 

You don't have to provide separate facilities, within reason.

Two toilets in total would be fine, as long as they're genuinely mixed use - i.e. no possibility of a lady walking in and finding a chap stood at the urinal. These would have to each have separate lockable doors. Removing the urinal and putting in another cubicle with its own lockable door could perhaps solve this?

As per Scampi's post, your primary goal here is basic health & safety / decent working conditions for staff

[Charles.C]

Good for HSE, other sources seem to be less generous -

 

 toilets 1.PNG   18.42KB   1 downloads

 

 toilets 2.PNG   53.47KB   1 downloads

 

@Scampi, the Table is a bit confusing but I suspect  > 1 + 1

 

https://blog.elmwork...r-a-new-office/

[pHruit]

But sureley there is a standard for the safety clothing?

Walking ten minutes from the changing facility to the work area, outside exposed to all eliments, if it is raining or a thunder storm for example, is not only detrimental to the workers health but also on a food safety issue only having to clean your footwear is not enough of a standard surely?! what if a bird shits on you? your expected to walk all the way back to get changed? If your soaked through after your walk to the work area, are you expected to work soaked and cold?

I'd somehow missed this point while responding to Scampi's link on the toilet requirements.
Yes, you probably can't do a 10-min outside walk in your production clothing, and a shared changing room may not be appropriate - if it's just a room to put your outdoor jacket and phone etc into a locker while throwing on a hairnet and overcoat then it's not likely to be an issue, but you mention showers, which suggests it's extremely inappropriate.

Could you structure the showers as e.g. a block of individual combined shower/changing rooms (i.e. shower and space to change in individual lockable cubicles/rooms) for mixed use?

[Charles.C]

Sharing is not an issue until you walk in on a co worker with his trousers down! then there are issues.

 

Yes, all workers should have direct access to the workplace and changing facilities. If one has to walk ten minutes from changing to the work area then they all should?

 

But sureley there is a standard for the safety clothing?

Walking ten minutes from the changing facility to the work area, outside exposed to all eliments, if it is raining or a thunder storm for example, is not only detrimental to the workers health but also on a food safety issue only having to clean your footwear is not enough of a standard surely?! what if a bird shits on you? your expected to walk all the way back to get changed? If your soaked through after your walk to the work area, are you expected to work soaked and cold?

 

Hi Betty,

 

The simple answer to yr query is that the FS decision should be based on (safety) risk assessment. Overlapping Senior Management Commitment.

 

In many, many locations, the option of mixed toilets just does not arise.