Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 which stipulate that “In the case of water closets used by women, suitable means should be provided for the disposal of sanitary dressings”. This now applies to all commercial premises in the UK, even if the WC is used by just one woman.
Chiltern Hygiene Services Ltd are a Registered Waste Carrier with the Environment Agency: CERTIFICATE:CB/AP3516QD.
You have a “Duty of Care” under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, to ensure that the soiled dressings are disposed of correctly and in accordance with the law. It is therefore essential for all employers, not only to be aware of the regulations, but also to act upon them by using a highly reputable Registered Waste carrier.
Disregard for the new regulations could be an extremely costly oversight. Breach of the Duty of Care is a criminal offence, punishable by an unlimited fine or even imprisonment.
The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, state that “suitable means should be taken to prevent odours from lingering in and from entering into other rooms”
Regulations 1992, state that washing facilities “must include soap or other suitable means of cleaning”
The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, state that “rest rooms and rest areas shall include suitable arrangements to protect non-smokers from discomfort caused by tobacco smoke”
Water By-Law 83 states that every pipe that supplies water to a flushing system or a trough used for flushing a urinal shall be fitted with either a flow shut-off device controlled by a time switch and a lockable shut-off valve or some other equally effective automatic device or method for regulating the periods during which the cistern of trough may fill.
You are required by law to provide hand drying facilities in your washroom, the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, state that washing facilities “must include towels or other suitable means of drying”
Please note that the information supplied here is designed to highlight special areas of workplace health and safety law. Chiltern Hygiene Services make every effort to update and review this section on a regular basis. However, the regulations can and do change regularly. You are advised to contact Chiltern Hygiene Services Ltd or visit one of the relevant Government websites for further guidance of more information.
HSE Website: www.hse.gov.uk
Freephone: 0800 298 5682
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