The team and I are working on a number of office schemes at the moment with a dirty secret, they do not have enough toilets!
It is something that is so easy to overlook, especially if your office head count has grown slowly over a number of years and if there is limited space it can be tempting to maximise work areas at the expense of facilities .
The minimum amount of toilets required is dictated by the maximum number of people likely to be present at work at any one time and is outlined in the tables below.
So you have two options; unisex toilets or separate male and female toilets.
If unisex toilets are to be used then follow Table A. These should be separate rooms that are lockable from the inside and include a toilet and washbasin within the cubicle itself.
Fewer unisex toilets are needed than if an office were to have separate male and female toilets, however they would need to be larger in order to accommodate the toilet and washbasin. Urinals do not need to be provided as the rooms are lockable from the inside.
If separate facilities are going to be provided then Table A should be used for the female toilets and Table B for the male toilets.
These facilities should be ‘adequate’ by law and this is clarified by HSE:
…”separate rooms should be provided for men and women. If this is not possible then the rooms should have lockable doors
https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg293.pdf
– the rooms should be kept in a clean and orderly condition as well as being adequately ventilated and lit
– suitable and sufficient sanitary conveniences should be provided at readily accessible places “
