Flushable toilets, clean hand-washing facilities coming to B.C. construction sites October: province

There is some good news for construction workers: New government regulations will require all large construction sites across the province to provide flush toilets as of Tuesday.

In a release early this month, the Ministry of Labour announced changes it made to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation. The province made it mandatory for employers at construction sites with 25 workers or more to provide flush toilets, hand-washing facilities and clean washrooms.

“While the changes come into effect on Oct. 1, 2024, WorkSafeBC will continue to work with construction companies during the next few months to ensure they are aware of the changes and understand what is required to comply,” the province said in an earlier release.

It said that this approach will allow employers to find the right facilities to make the changes.

Earlier this month Build TogetHER BC board member Tiffany Madden told 1130 NewsRadio that the worst part of going to work are the “nasty conditions” inside port-a-potties.

“These new rules mean myself and my colleagues will be treated with the basic dignity of having flushing toilets with running water, something workers in most other industries take for granted. This is a game-changer for the construction industry and could even attract more women into the trades,” she said.

The requirement mandates employers to make sure toilets can be connected to a sewer system or holding tank, and use a flow of clean water or a mixture of clean water and chemicals to flush the toilet bowl. It also requires clean hand-washing facilities with soap and water or other ways of hand-cleaning.

The ministry is also requiring employers to make sure bathrooms are “well-maintained, clean, ventilated and provide privacy.”

The initiative was originally announced by the leader of the BC NDP David Eby in the fall of 2023 after years of advocacy by the BC Building and Construction Trades Council to achieve sanitary alternatives to the standard port-a-potties.

-With files from Emma Crawford and Maria Vinca.