How many toilets per person in the workplace?
As an employer, you have a duty to provide enough toilet facilities for your employees. Ideally, those toilets would be separate for men and women, and where that’s not possible, they should have fully functioning locks to guarantee privacy. You should ensure there are enough toilets that people don’t have to queue to use the washroom, but how many toilets per person and how many washbasins should you have based on the size of your workforce? If you’re asking yourself, ‘how many toilets do I need?’, here’s a useful guide.
Mixed-use or women only facilities
| Number of people at work | Number of toilets | Number of washbasins |
|---|---|---|
| 1-5 | 1 | 1 |
| 6-25 | 2 | 2 |
| 26-50 | 3 | 3 |
| 51-75 | 4 | 4 |
| 76-100 | 5 | 5 |
As a rule of thumb, there should be one basin for every toilet in your workplace. For smaller workforces comprised of between 1 and 5 people, the legal requirements for toilets in workplace UK is one, with a single basin. For a staff of between 6 and 25, there should be two toilets, while a larger workforce of between 26 and 50 would require three. Between 51 and 75, that number rises to four and between 76 and 100, that number rises again to five.
Men’s washrooms and urinals
| Number of men at work | Number of toilets | Number of urinals |
|---|---|---|
| 1-15 | 1 | 1 |
| 16-30 | 2 | 1 |
| 31-45 | 2 | 2 |
| 46-60 | 3 | 2 |
| 61-75 | 3 | 3 |
| 76-90 | 4 | 3 |
| 91-100 | 4 | 4 |
When it comes to urinals in male toilets, there should be at least one for a workforce of between 1 and 30 employees, two for a staff of 31 to 60 men and three for between 61 and 90. Above that, you would need a minimum of four. You should also include toilets at a ratio of one for between 1 and 15 employees, two for between 16 and 45 staff members, three for between 46 and 75 and four for between 76 and 100.
When it comes to the toilet facilities at work, the regulations state that everyone has the right to access clean toilets and washroom facilities, and it’s your responsibility as an employer to provide them. From a health and safety perspective, this is about caring for your employees’ wellbeing, so staff members aren’t made to queue to use the washrooms. While these ratios of staff to basins and toilets is a simple guide to follow, it’s always worth including more washrooms if you can, to guarantee people aren’t made to wait.
If you need to install or upgrade your own washroom cubicles to meet health and safety standards, please get in touch.
References
L24, Workplace health, safety and welfare, approved code of practice and guidance, (ISBN 0717604136 – available from HSE Books).
