Employer obligation to provide toilet facilities

TK Lemon

The other day in work between 7-8am approx, the water main supply to the building ceased. There was no running water in the staff toilets and taps, shower rooms and canteen area.
The water wasn’t fixed until around 4pm in the day.

Staff who needed to use the toilet were told to use nearby public shopping centre toilets.

If anyone needed first aid in work or a burn injury and needed hot/cold water (or any water), there was none available.

Are employers obliged to provide working toilet facilities?

ridonkulous

TK Lemon wrote: »

The other day in work between 7-8am approx, the water main supply to the building ceased. There was no running water in the staff toilets and taps, shower rooms and canteen area.

Staff who needed to use the toilet were told to use nearby public shopping centre toilets.

If anyone needed first aid in work or a burn injury and needed hot/cold water (or any water), there was none available.

Are employers obliged to provide working toilet facilities?

Your employer does provide working toilet facilities. They just weren't working for a short period of time. What exactly did you expect them to do? Truck in some portaloos for the hour?

TK Lemon

ridonkulous wrote: »

Your employer does provide working toilet facilities. They just weren't working for a short period of time. What exactly did you expect them to do? Truck in some portaloos for the hour?

Sorry my OP probably wasn’t clear.

The fault happened sometime between 7-8am, but it persisted until about 4pm in the afternoon.

SteM

I don't know how an employer can be held accountable for mains water being switched off for an hour. It's outside their control surely?

Dublin Bus drivers on many routes don't have access to toilet facilities.

KaneToad

TK Lemon wrote: »

The other day in work between 7-8am approx, the water main supply to the building ceased. There was no running water in the staff toilets and taps, shower rooms and canteen area.

Staff who needed to use the toilet were told to use nearby public shopping centre toilets.

If anyone needed first aid in work or a burn injury and needed hot/cold water (or any water), there was none available.

Are employers obliged to provide working toilet facilities?

Being given the time to use the public toilets seems reasonable. Water disruption happens sometimes. If your employer didn't do anything to remedy the situation, you might be entitled to feel aggrieved.

_Brian

TK Lemon wrote: »

The other day in work between 7-8am approx, the water main supply to the building ceased. There was no running water in the staff toilets and taps, shower rooms and canteen area.
The water wasn’t fixed until around 4pm in the day.

Staff who needed to use the toilet were told to use nearby public shopping centre toilets.

If anyone needed first aid in work or a burn injury and needed hot/cold water (or any water), there was none available.

Are employers obliged to provide working toilet facilities?

Employer did their best which is what is expected of them.

punisher5112

SteM wrote: »

I don't know how an employer can be held accountable for mains water being switched off for an hour. It's outside their control surely?

Dublin Bus drivers on many routes don't have access to toilet facilities.

This is very true and it's something that needs to change.


Council's shut every single public toilets there were.

Absolutely shocking in 2019 Dublin city has not one public toilet.

Aint Eazy Being Cheezy

punisher5112 wrote: »

This is very true and it's something that needs to change.


Council's shut every single public toilets there were.

Absolutely shocking in 2019 Dublin city has not one public toilet.

Too much drug taking & gay sex happening.

I don't think they are required to provide them, though, are they? Is that not one of the reasons GoSafe are giving out lately?

punisher5112

Aint Eazy Being Cheezy wrote: »

Too much drug taking & gay sex happening.

So you don't believe there should be any modern pod type ones which were once at O'Connell bridge....

I have to go up to 7 hours without going to the toilet in work.

There are no facilities as I'm on the road.

20/20

TK Lemon wrote: »

The other day in work between 7-8am approx, the water main supply to the building ceased. There was no running water in the staff toilets and taps, shower rooms and canteen area.
The water wasn’t fixed until around 4pm in the day.

Staff who needed to use the toilet were told to use nearby public shopping centre toilets.

If anyone needed first aid in work or a burn injury and needed hot/cold water (or any water), there was none available.

Are employers obliged to provide working toilet facilities?

Exactly what are you looking for ?

rizzodun

TK Lemon wrote: »

The other day in work between 7-8am approx, the water main supply to the building ceased. There was no running water in the staff toilets and taps, shower rooms and canteen area.
The water wasn’t fixed until around 4pm in the day.

Staff who needed to use the toilet were told to use nearby public shopping centre toilets.

If anyone needed first aid in work or a burn injury and needed hot/cold water (or any water), there was none available.

Are employers obliged to provide working toilet facilities?

So the water issue happened between 7 and 8am, probably had to call someone, usually that's would be at 9am, and it was fixed by 4pm.

And you have a problem with this?

You must know what the issue was and exactly how long it should've taken then?

Does your company have a team of people sitting around waiting for a customer to have an issue wanting to be fixed within the hour or would you find that unreasonable?

elperello

I suppose he could have broken out and bought in a few bottles of water for drinking, first aid etc. but he seems to have done his best regarding the toilet alternative.

splinter65

OP what would you have done if you were the employer?

MrMusician18

splinter65 wrote: »

OP what would you have done if you were the employer?

Presumably here's asking if everyone should have been sent home for the day with pay?

Princess Calla

splinter65 wrote: »

OP what would you have done if you were the employer?

This happened in a place I worked....actually this has happened in a few places I worked.

But anyway this particular time, the whole road is without water and there's no where really close by to use the facilities.

So people are still using the toilets without being able to flush them. After a while the obvious conclusions are reached that A) this is gross and the toilets are really at risk of blocking and or overflowing.

So management have an emergency meeting and it's decided they'll head to the local supermarket and buy bottled water to manually fill the cisterns.

Grand we think, gonna be expensive (there's about 20-30 toilets to fix) but they'll buy the supermarkets own brand water.....eh no, crates of the Italian water pellegrino? Green bottle? Arrive in....the mere mortals as in everyone whose not management are looking at the crates going I can't afford to buy this stuff to drink and these lads are literally flushing it down the jacks.

They were delighted with themselves too....crisis averted

shamrock55

Jesus op get over yourself, you sound like a right pain in the arse for an employer

Steve

TK Lemon wrote: »

The other day in work between 7-8am approx, the water main supply to the building ceased. There was no running water in the staff toilets and taps, shower rooms and canteen area.
The water wasn’t fixed until around 4pm in the day.

Staff who needed to use the toilet were told to use nearby public shopping centre toilets.

If anyone needed first aid in work or a burn injury and needed hot/cold water (or any water), there was none available.

Are employers obliged to provide working toilet facilities?

You are 100% right.

Your employer should be fined millions of euros and be forced out of business, causing you and everyone else there to lose their job over something that was beyond their control.

Gimme a break. :rolleyes:

Del2005

TK Lemon wrote: »

If anyone needed first aid in work or a burn injury and needed hot/cold water (or any water), there was none available.

An office first aid kit will contain burn gel, water is used if you don't have access burn gel. Also the first aid kit will have saline to rinse any wounds.

Jim2007

TK Lemon wrote: »

Sorry my OP probably wasn’t clear.

The fault happened sometime between 7-8am, but it persisted until about 4pm in the afternoon.

Seriously! It was an emergency situation your employer or more likely one of your colleagues did the best they could under the circumstances.....

Lets here what you would have done differently in the situation.

dennyk

Yes, your employer has to provide a functioning toilet facility, but plumbing issues happen from time to time. If an unexpected issue arose which disabled your employer's facilities, but it was fixed within a matter of hours, it isn't something that's a chronic ongoing problem (e.g. the bathrooms at work are broken more often than not), and you did have a reasonable alternative to use in the short-term (the nearby public facilities you mentioned), there's zero chance of your employer getting into any trouble for this, and no real cause for complaint. Sounds like your employer acted perfectly reasonably under the circumstances, taking action and getting the issue resolved as quickly as possible and making sure there was an alternate solution for their employees in the meantime.

dreamers75

Kinda amazed they got a plumber within 8 hours on a Monday.

punisher5112

dreamers75 wrote: »

Kinda amazed they got a plumber within 8 hours on a Monday.

Such places would have the money and not question the plumber and he or she probably gets good business off them.

Peatys

punisher5112 wrote: »

This is very true and it's something that needs to change.


Council's shut every single public toilets there were.

Absolutely shocking in 2019 Dublin city has not one public toilet.

Don't blame the council, blame the scumbags

boring accountant

All I can do is commiserate with you.

Taking a dump on company time is the greatest thing there is.

punisher5112

Peatys wrote: »

Don't blame the council, blame the scumbags

Absolute bull, it shouldn't be tolerated any damage or abuse of facilities.

A man was employed and looked after these facilities.

So far I'm 6hr45mins with been able to use a toilet.

I'm on a bus to the depot to them be able to relieve myself.....

To be honest that's crazy imo.