The Truth About Workplace Toilet Hygiene

The average UK employee will spend approximately 41 hours per year in a workplace washroom. That’s a pretty long time to be spending in a place that often harbours uncomfortable truths about hygiene standards! While we’d prefer not to think about what lurks on toilet seats, flush handles and door surfaces, understanding workplace toilet hygiene is crucial for health, wellbeing and productivity. It’s time to flush away misconceptions about toilet hygiene in the workplace and put effective solutions in place to keep washrooms a clean and safe space. 

• Facts About Toilet Hygiene in the Workplace
• Legal Requirements and Standards for Toilet Hygiene in the UK
• High-Risk Areas in Workplace Washrooms 
• Effective Toilet Hygiene Tips for Washroom Managers
• Toilet Hygiene Rules for Washroom Users
• Keep Your Workplace Washroom Clean with Woosh

Facts About Toilet Hygiene in the Workplace

Out of sight, out of mind…right? UK workplace washrooms present a concerning amount of hygiene challenges that many employees and employers prefer to ignore. With 32% of office workers already thinking their workplace toilets are inadequately cleaned, we must make changes to promote toilet hygiene both as washroom managers and washroom users. 

The average toilet seat hosts approximately 295 bacteria per square inch, while flush handles can harbour around 108 bacteria per square inch. That’s a pretty disturbing number, but that’s not all! Door handles in workplace washrooms can also contain up to 40,000 germs per square inch, making them potent hotspots for illnesses like norovirus, E. coli and influenza. In fact, a contaminated door handle can infect up to 60% of facility occupants within just four hours. Pretty gross!

Legal Requirements and Standards for Toilet Hygiene in the UK

Toilet hygiene is governed by specific regulations in the UK. The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 mandates that employers provide clean, well-maintained toilet facilities with adequate handwashing supplies. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) supports this, specifying that toilets must be kept in a clean, orderly condition with regular maintenance, yet recent inspections have revealed that approximately 27% of workplaces fall short on these basic requirements. 

Some of the minimum requirements for a workplace washroom include one toilet per 5 employees of either sex in smaller workplaces, with additional facilities required as staff numbers increase. However, compliance extends beyond this with clear regulations on soap, hand drying facilities, proper ventilation and adequate lighting, which must be all maintained to acceptable standards. Failure to comply can result in penalties ranging from improvement notices to fines of up to £20,000 for serious violations. 

High-Risk Areas in Workplace Washrooms 

Certain washroom surfaces present particularly high contamination risks that targeted cleaning should address. With tests finding flush handles containing an average of 108 bacteria per square inch and toilet seats playing hosts to approximately 295 bacteria per square inch, these bacteria hotspots should be cleaned thoroughly during each regularly scheduled cleaning session. But surprisingly, these areas are not the worst! Here’s a list of bacteria breeding grounds you should be aware of the next time you are in your workplace washroom:

• Washroom Door Handle: 40,000 bacteria per square inch
• Sink Taps: 6,267 bacteria per square inch 
• Soap Dispensers: 8,000 bacteria per square inch
• Light Switches: 217 bacteria per square inch 

Effective Toilet Hygiene Tips for Washroom Managers

Implementing proper cleaning protocols requires strategic scheduling and appropriate products. Knowing the exact areas to target during your cleaning routine can minimise the number of germs on surfaces and prevent the spread of germs. Here’s our effective toilet hygiene tips for washroom managers to keep washrooms clean and sparkling:

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• Regular Cleaning and Disinfection: Schedule frequent cleanings multiple times a day to ensure your washrooms are kept clean at all times. Depending on the amount of traffic coming through your washroom, this can be anywhere from a couple of times a day to every hour. 
• Proper Supplies and Maintenance: Ensure you have adequate stock of toilet paper, soap, paper towels and hand sanitiser so your washroom users always have the supplies needed to complete toilet hygiene. 
• Install High-Tech Dispensers and Hand Dryers: With touchless dispensers like soap, water and hand dryers, you can minimise contamination and reduce the number of touchpoints which harbour harmful germs. 
• Implement Toilet Hygiene Products: From toilet seat covers to toilet sanitiser, offering a range of toilet seat covers minimises the number of germs that can be transferred from this germ hotpot. 
• Odour Control: Nobody wants to walk into a washroom filled with unpleasant smells! Place air fresheners or air purification systems around your washroom to remove smells and create an inviting environment. 
• Promote Hand Hygiene: There’s nothing worse than people who go to the washroom and don’t wash their hands. Display clear “Wash Your Hands” signs in visible areas and provide antibacterial soap and effective hand dryers so your washroom users can easily wash their hands. 
• Waste Management: One commonly forgotten area is waste management in washrooms. Remember to frequently empty rubbish and sanitary waste bins to prevent an overflow of unsightly rubbish in your washroom. 

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Toilet Hygiene Rules for Washroom Users

It’s not just the responsibility of washroom managers to take care of unsightly washrooms, it’s the responsibility of washroom users too! Here are some toilet hygiene rules you should follow to ensure washrooms remain a clean space for everyone:

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1. Flush Properly: It might seem obvious, but you should always flush after using the toilet! If the flush isn’t strong, flush twice to avoid any lingering waste.
2. Keep the Seat Clean: Lift the seat up if you’re standing to urinate to prevent potential splashes. You can also opt to use toilet paper or a seat cover if you are sitting down. 
3. Dispose of Waste Correctly: Only flush toilet paper down the toilet. You should never flush wet wipes, sanitary products or paper towels. Instead you should use the bins provided to ensure the toilet doesn’t become blocked.
4. Practice Good Hand Hygiene: Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds after using the toilet. Remember to thoroughly dry your hands too to prevent the cross-contamination of germs.
5. Minimise Surface Contact: Use a paper towel or tissues to open doors, press flushes or touch faucets to prevent touching germ hotspots.
6. Avoid Floor and Seat Contamination: Don’t place bags or personal items on the floor. You never know what might have touched the floor! You can also be helpful by reporting any spills, clogged toilets or empty soap dispensers to staff so they can be addressed straight away. 
7. Be Considerate of Others: Washrooms are a shared space so make sure you do your bit by cleaning up after yourself and only using the supplies you really need. 
8. Help Prevent Odours: If there are air fresheners available, why not take a second to give the washroom a spritz after use to remove offensive odours? You should also close the lid before flushing to reduce the dreaded toilet sneeze! 

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Bonus Public Toilet Survival Tips

• Carry a small hygiene kit including pocket hand sanitiser, tissues and air fresheners. 
• Choose the first stall as it is often the least used and cleanest.
• Use some toilet roll to lift the seat or flush.

Keep Your Workplace Washroom Clean with Woosh

Whether you are a washroom manager or a washroom user, our guide to toilet hygiene can help you minimise your contact with germs and make washrooms a more inviting place for everyone. For more washroom manager tips, get in touch with our Wooshologists or take a look at our washroom products such as Sanitary Bins, Air Purification or Hand Dryers today!

FAQs

What are the rules of hygiene in toilets?

There are some non-negotiable toilet hygiene rules that you should follow when using the workplace washroom. From always flushing after use to washing your hands with soap for 20 seconds and disposing of waste correctly, these hygiene rules are there to make washrooms a cleaner, safer and more pleasant place for everyone. 

How do you tell employees to keep the toilet clean?

There’s nothing better than a sign! Provide clear hygiene guidelines to your employees, such as flushing properly and reporting spills, to give reminders of toilet hygiene best practices. Promoting toilet hygiene to your employees paired with regular cleaning will ensure your washroom remains spotless throughout the day.

What is the legal requirement for toilets in the workplace in the UK?

UK regulations, such as the Workplace Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations 1992, require employers to provide clean, well-maintained toilets with running water, soap and drying facilities. The number of toilets depends on staff size, with separate facilities for men and women where possible.

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