Site Welfare Facilities Under CDM 2015: Toilet Provision, Washing Facilities, Rest Areas and Minimum Standards

Quick Answer: The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, Regulation 13 and Schedule 2, require suitable and sufficient welfare facilities to be provided on every construction site from the very first day of work — not after a certain size or duration. The mandatory facilities are: sanitary conveniences (toilets), washing facilities (with hot or warm and cold running water, soap and towels/dryers), drinking water, changing rooms and lockers where needed, and rest facilities (somewhere to sit, shelter from the weather, prepare and eat food, and boil water). On a single-contractor job the contractor provides them; on multi-contractor sites the principal contractor must ensure they are provided and maintained throughout.

Summary

Welfare on construction sites is not a "nice to have" or something that arrives once a site is established — it is a legal duty that bites on day one of any construction work, however small. The most common myth in the trades is that welfare requirements only kick in on big notifiable projects or after a few weeks. They do not. A single decorator refurbishing one room, a two-man bathroom team, and a 200-worker commercial fit-out are all covered by the same Schedule 2 of CDM 2015. The difference is scale and how the facilities are provided, not whether they are required.

The duty rests on whoever controls the work. On a domestic single-contractor job, the contractor in control must provide welfare. On a project with more than one contractor, the principal contractor must ensure suitable facilities are provided and properly maintained for everyone on site — including subcontractors and the self-employed. The client also has a duty to make sure suitable welfare arrangements are in place before work starts. "Provided" means available and usable from the start, kept clean, lit, ventilated and stocked.

For tradespeople, the practical questions are: what counts as acceptable, what about a job in someone's occupied house, and what about a quick one-day visit? This article sets out the Schedule 2 minimums, the realistic options (from using the householder's facilities to a serviced welfare cabin), and the maintenance standards inspectors check. It complements cdm regulations (the full CDM duty-holder framework) and site setup (practical small-site setup).

Key Facts

• Legal basis: CDM 2015 Reg 13 + Schedule 2 — "suitable and sufficient welfare facilities" must be provided, so far as is reasonably practicable, from the start of the construction phase
• No minimum project size or duration — welfare is required on every construction site, including small domestic jobs and one-day visits
• Five core facilities — (1) sanitary conveniences, (2) washing facilities, (3) drinking water, (4) changing rooms & lockers (where needed), (5) rest facilities/canteen
• Toilets — flushing and connected to mains/drainage where reasonably practicable; otherwise chemical/portable toilets that are emptied and maintained; adequate lighting and ventilation; able to be used in private; separate rooms for men and women, or lockable single rooms
• Toilet provision ratio — HSE Approved Code of Practice L153 sets recommended numbers; a commonly used guide is roughly 1 WC + 1 urinal per 25 men, with separate provision for women
• Washing facilities — adjacent to toilets and to changing areas; clean hot and cold (or warm) running water; soap; means of drying (towels or dryer); showers required where the work is dirty/strenuous or involves health-risk substances (e.g. asbestos, lead)
• Drinking water — a supply of wholesome drinking water, clearly marked, with cups unless a drinking fountain
• Changing rooms & lockers — where workers must wear special/work clothing and would not change at home; separate facilities or use times for men and women; somewhere to dry wet clothing
• Rest facilities — protected from the weather; tables and seating with backs; means to heat food and boil water (kettle/microwave); non-smoking
• Maintained throughout — facilities must be kept clean, lit, ventilated and stocked for the whole project, not just provided once
• Mobile/peripatetic workers — for short-duration or moving work (e.g. utility/highway gangs), facilities can be at a nearby base, a welfare van, or by arrangement with local premises — but reasonable access still required
• Domestic occupied homes — welfare can be met by arrangement to use the householder's toilet and washing facilities (with consent), provided they are suitable and access is agreed
• Principal contractor duty — on multi-contractor sites, ensure welfare from the start and maintain it; it is a frequent HSE enforcement (improvement/prohibition) topic
• First aid is separate — provided under the Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981, not Schedule 2, but goes hand-in-hand with welfare on site setup

Quick Reference Table

Toilet/washing provision (HSE guidance, approximate —):

Detailed Guidance

Sanitary conveniences (toilets)

Toilets must be available from the start of work. The order of preference is a flushing toilet connected to mains drainage; where that is not reasonably practicable, a flushing toilet with a water and waste tank; and as a last resort a maintained chemical/portable toilet. Whatever the type:

• Adequate number for the workforce (see provision table).
• Adequate lighting and ventilation, and kept clean.
• Able to be used in private (a lockable door).
• Separate facilities for men and women, or single self-contained lockable rooms that either sex can use.
• Toilet paper provided; for women, a means of disposing of sanitary waste.

Portable toilets must be on a servicing contract — emptied, cleaned and re-chemicalled at a frequency matched to use. A neglected, overflowing site toilet is a common enforcement trigger and a genuine health risk.

Washing facilities

Washing must be located near both the toilets and the changing/rest areas, because workers will wash after using the toilet and before eating. Schedule 2 requires:

• Running water — clean hot and cold, or warm (a tank with no heating in winter does not meet "warm").
• Soap or other cleaning agent.
• A means of drying — paper or cloth towels, or a hot-air/blade dryer.
• Basins large enough to wash hands, face and forearms.

Showers are required where the work is particularly dirty or strenuous, or where workers are exposed to substances that pose a health risk — for example asbestos removal (decontamination units are mandatory), lead work, and heavy demolition/groundwork. For licensed asbestos work, the decontamination requirements go beyond basic welfare and are governed by the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.

Drinking water

A supply of wholesome drinking water must be readily accessible and clearly marked (especially where non-potable water is also present on site, to avoid confusion). Provide cups unless the supply is a drinking fountain. In hot weather, adequate drinking water is also part of managing heat stress.

Changing rooms, lockers and drying

Where workers have to wear work or protective clothing and cannot reasonably change at home, provide:

• A place to change with seating.
• Secure storage (lockers) for personal clothing and belongings, and separate storage where work clothing could contaminate personal clothing.
• A means of drying wet weather and work clothing — important in UK winters where workers arriving soaked have nowhere to dry off, which becomes a welfare and morale issue.
• Separate facilities, or separate times of use, for men and women.

Rest facilities

A rest area must:

• Provide shelter from the weather (a dry, heated space, not just a corner of the build).
• Have tables and seating with backs, sufficient for the number resting at one time.
• Allow food to be prepared and eaten and water to be boiled (kettle, microwave).
• Be kept clean and be non-smoking (smoke-free legislation applies).
• Make provision for pregnant women and nursing mothers to rest where relevant.

Small jobs and occupied homes

The duty does not vanish on small or short jobs — it scales. For a one- or two-person job in an occupied house, the practical and lawful approach is to agree with the householder that you may use their toilet and washing facilities, confirm they are suitable, and keep them clean. For empty properties or new builds with no services, a serviced portable toilet plus a self-contained welfare van covers the requirement. The key is to think about welfare at the quoting and planning stage — not to discover on day one that there is nowhere to wash or use a toilet, which then eats into the job cost and time.

Welfare on peripatetic / mobile work

For gangs that move location through the day (highways, utilities, surveying), Schedule 2 is met flexibly: a welfare van with toilet, washing and rest provision, facilities at a nearby established base, or formal arrangements to use local premises (a depot, a client building, a café by agreement). What is not acceptable is "there's a hedge and a garage forecourt" — workers must have reasonable access to genuine toilet and washing facilities.

Site Welfare Setup Checklist

• Toilets available day one, correct number, lit/ventilated/private, servicing contract if portable
• Washing adjacent to toilets — hot/warm + cold water, soap, drying
• Showers provided if dirty/hazardous work (mandatory for asbestos/lead)
• Wholesome drinking water, clearly marked, cups provided
• Changing area + lockers where work clothing worn; drying for wet clothes
• Weatherproof, heated rest area with seating, tables, kettle/microwave
• Cleaning/restocking regime agreed for whole project duration
• Domestic job: householder facilities agreed in writing where used
• Principal contractor (multi-contractor site) named as responsible for welfare

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I really need a toilet on site for a one-day job?

Yes — there is no exemption for short jobs. CDM 2015 Schedule 2 requires welfare from the start of any construction work. For a one-day job in an occupied home, the practical answer is usually arranging to use the householder's toilet and washing facilities with their consent. For an empty property, you must provide a suitable alternative (the nearest reasonable facility, a welfare van, or a serviced portable toilet). The duty is about having access, not necessarily about hiring a cabin for a single day.

Who is legally responsible for providing welfare on a site with several trades?

The principal contractor. On any project with more than one contractor, CDM 2015 requires a principal contractor to be appointed, and they must ensure suitable welfare facilities are provided and maintained throughout the construction phase for everyone on site, including subcontractors and the self-employed. The client must check that arrangements are in place before work starts. If you are a subcontractor turning up to a site with no welfare, the duty is on the principal contractor to fix it.

Is cold water enough for hand washing on site?

No. Schedule 2 specifically requires hot or warm running water for washing, along with soap and a means of drying. Cold-only washing does not meet the standard, and a basin fed from an unheated tank in winter is a common enforcement finding. Provide a heated supply.

Can I just give workers hand sanitiser instead of washing facilities?

No. Hand sanitiser is a supplement, not a substitute. The regulations require actual washing facilities with running water, soap and drying. Sanitiser does not remove dirt, dust, oils or many contaminants and is no defence against an HSE inspection that finds no proper washing provision.

What welfare is required for asbestos or lead work?

More than the basic Schedule 2 minimum. Licensed asbestos removal requires full decontamination units (a three-stage shower/airlock arrangement) under the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012. Lead work under the Control of Lead at Work Regulations 2002 requires washing and changing facilities to prevent ingestion and cross-contamination. For these jobs, treat welfare as part of the control measures, not an afterthought.

Regulations & Standards

• Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 — Reg 13 (duties of the principal contractor) and Schedule 2 (minimum welfare facilities); welfare from the start of the construction phase

• HSE Approved Code of Practice L153 — Managing health and safety in construction; guidance on welfare provision numbers and standards

• Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 — analogous welfare standards for fixed workplaces (referenced for comparison; construction sites are covered by CDM)

• Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012 — decontamination/welfare requirements for asbestos work

• Control of Lead at Work Regulations 2002 — washing/changing requirements for lead work

• Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981 — first aid provision, sits alongside welfare in site setup

• Smoke-free (Premises and Enforcement) Regulations 2006 — rest areas must be smoke-free

• HSE — Welfare at work / construction welfare — Schedule 2 requirements explained for sites

• HSE — Provision of welfare facilities during construction work (CIS59) — practical guidance and provision standards

• HSE — Managing health and safety in construction (L153 ACoP) — Approved Code of Practice for CDM 2015

• GOV.UK — CDM 2015 (Schedule 2) — full text of the regulations including welfare schedule

• HSE — Asbestos: decontamination units — enhanced welfare for licensed asbestos work

• cdm regulations — full CDM 2015 duty-holder framework, when notification (F10) is required and client duties

• site setup — practical small-site setup including welfare, first aid and construction phase plan

• site induction checklist — inducting workers, including pointing out welfare facilities

• asbestos — decontamination requirements that go beyond basic welfare