Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there is a statutory requirement for public buildings and offices to provide appropriate disposal bins for the disposal of stoma and other continence products and personal care products in (1) female, and (2) male toilets.

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 cover a wide range of basic health, safety and welfare issues and apply to most workplaces. These Regulations require for suitable and sufficient sanitary conveniences to be available at readily accessible places. The attached documents the Workplace Health Safety and Welfare Approved Code of Practice and Guidance (L24) and Welfare at Work – Guidance for employers (INDG293), which are guidance to help dutyholders comply with the regulations, say:

• provision must be made for any worker with a disability to enable them to have access to facilities which are adjusted for their use as necessary; and

• that toilets used by women should be provided with suitable means for the disposal of sanitary dressings.

There are no equivalent requirements for men.

These regulations do not apply to non-workplaces; however, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government’s building regulations are applicable to public buildings and the advice is:

• Statutory guidance supporting Part M of the building regulations, includes a sanitary waste disposal bin in accessible toilets. All building other than dwellings in scope, including offices and all public buildings would require as a minimum one accessible toilet where a stoma bag can be safely disposed of.

• Building Regulations come with statutory guidance on the layout of wheelchair-accessible unisex toilets. These toilets offer private space for anyone needing to attend to a medical need and are not exclusively for use by ambulant disabled people. The guidance for accessible WCs includes a sanitary waste disposal bin with a lid and a wash hand basin. The layout and content of these spaces are controlled in all newly built offices and public buildings.

• The statutory guidance given in Approved Document M (Access to and use of buildings) also points to the British Standard BS8300-2:2018 “Design of an accessible and inclusive built environment. Buildings. Code of practice”. This independent best practice standard was updated in January 2018 with further information describing best practice in a range of toilets for people treating a medical condition.