World Toilet Day 2023: The industry is still failing staff

On World Toilet Day, Sunday 19 November^[1] we continue our calls for employers to provide appropriate hygiene facilities for rail workers.

The lack of access to safe, clean, and appropriate toilet facilities, and the lack of opportunity for workers to access them during their working day, is a human rights issue, an occupational health and safety issue, an equality issue, and a public health issue.

The Office of Rail & Road’s (ORR) 2022-23 Annual Report of Health and Safety on Britain’s Railways agrees with us, “It is unacceptable that the industry fails to provide adequate toilet facilities for staff and indeed this is a legal requirement” We are glad that the industry is listening to our concerns and the ORR acknowledges that staff are being failed by a lack of adequate toilet facilities. We expect employers to take action to meet their obligations to provide appropriate facilities to our members and to ensure that appropriate personal need breaks are rostered in to allow them to actually use the facilities. ^[2]

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