The importance of the right welfare facilities for your site

Construction and building sites are busy, busy places. With different trades on-site at any one time, as well as regular visitors, inspectors, and more, you need to ensure that you have the right facilities to keep everyone happy and your site health and safety compliant. 

This is where site accommodation units can become vital. 

Providing the most adequate facilities such as site offices, etc., where you can increase productivity as project managers and teams have the space to work, and a higher security level where people can safely store their belongings and personal items with peace of mind. 

In this respect, it, therefore, becomes a project manager’s responsibility to assess what site accommodation and site cabins are required, making sure you meet all standards and health and safety requirements too. 

Site Cabin Hire 

Site cabins typically help to create various areas and `rooms` on sites. These can include: 

• Sanitary areas 
• Changing rooms 
• Break rooms suitable for food preparation 
• Washing area, and even 
• Temporary housing. 

Creating a comfortable work environment helps increase employee productivity and efficiency, which means work levels remain high, and you can continue to meet those strict project deadlines. 

Meeting legal requirements 

Construction firms or any sites that fail to provide their workers with adequate welfare facilities can face potential legal action and some hefty fines. 

Is it really worth the risk? 

Thought to be essential for employees’ wellbeing, everyone needs somewhere comfortable they can work, rest, and enjoy their breaks. 

Types of facilities to provide 

Washing and toilet facilities 

It’s essential to provide adequate toilet and washing facilities, without people having to queue. You must provide hygienic and sanitary toilet facilities for all employees on site 

As a legal requirement, units must be fitted with enough water, basins, soap, and hand drying materials. The number of portable toilets you’ll require will depend on the number of employees you have on-site (gender ratios also need to be considered). 

All welfare units must be regularly maintained and cleaned to stop the spread of germs. They must also be well lit and well ventilated. 

Note:  It is illegal to have no toilet facilities at work. 

Break Room facilities 

Site accommodation units should be readily available for employees to take their breaks and access space for mealtimes with suitable drinking water available. Somewhere where employees can come and sit and relax.  

These areas should be kept clean and hygienic at all times to minimise the risk of contamination. 

You can also stage these areas to include seating areas, tables, chairs, kitchen areas, etc. They should also have facilities where people can wash their dishes and heat food up too. 

Temporary facilities 

Temporary site accommodation can be hired for any length of time you require. Most temporary portable cabin hire can include different interior equipment and design levels depending on your requirements; speak to your plant hire team today to find out more and check out what’s available. 

Changing facilities 

On some construction sites, employees must have a place to change.  A storage area where clothing and work gear can be stored safely and securely. These facilities should be easy to access and private. 

Site Office 

Often site units are used to provide great site offices, allowing admin staff and project managers on site a clean place to work. They’re also used to store vital project documents and information, so these aren’t left lying or lost on site. 

Smoking facilities 

It is not a legal requirement to provide smoking facilities; however, to help with morale and keep people in one area rather than wandering off in all directions, some companies offer smoking shelters, signposted, making them easy to identify. 

Keeping site accommodation in good condition 

All site cabins and units should be regularly maintained to help keep your site’s hygiene levels high. 

At Addplant, we provide high-quality, first-class site accommodation that helps you meet your legal requirements and puts your mind at ease that everything you need and more is in good, professional hands. 

Our team can provide a range of site accommodation to hire, available in various sizes and layouts, all to meet your requirements. 

If you’re looking to hire a site cabin and additional accommodation for your site setup, look no further than Addplant. 

Call our team today on 01482 867 227.

Find out more here!

Reference video: amalyna aziz