Contract Packing - finished goods

Morning All

I wanted to ask you your opinion on a topic i'm tackling in our contract packing area.  

We have an employee who requires regular water breaks, this is not an issue and access to water is controlled. 

The argument is around the storage of the cups the employee keeps in a clear box under the packing line.

These boxes were introduced to stop people storing personal items under work stations rather than in their lockers. The argument is that would the plastic cup be deemed as a personal item and should they be stored in their locker........

At the moment we do not supply cups to the water stations. Employees usually fill up their water bottles on route to breaks and drink in the canteen area. My argument is that we should be purchasing these cup and the water station need greater management........

Any thoughts and advice greatly appreciated as ever. 

Are the plastic cups in use in the production area?

If not, there would seem to be no need for them to be there, and thus it's arguably perhaps academic as to whether they're a personal item or not.

Nonetheless if the cups aren't provided by the business then they would seem to be a personal item.

I've seen cups provided in the form of paper cones, as that gives the staff a receptacle from which they can drink if they haven't brought their own bottle, but also prevents them being taken and left places as they obviously won't stand up.

This doesn't sound like it would be a problem in this case, as it reads as though the staff member has the access that they need to water without requiring it to be physically next to them at all times?

Buy disposible cone cups, get the cups out from under the line.

thank you both for your response, nothing I wasn't already expecting  :spoton: