The welfare of all workers should be the main priority for every business when it comes to occupational health and safety. There are various ways in which welfare within the workplace is evaluated and maintained. These come in standard practices such as water and toilets and special practices such as pregnancy and accessibility issues. All welfare evaluations should follow the requirements of the workplace regulations act 1992. The WRA covers a wide range of basic health, safety and welfare issues and apply to most workplaces.

Starting with the basic standards for welfare like the evaluation of water and toilets. How do occupations evaluate these issues? Firstly, the issues that could cause a health risk need to be identified. Take water or to be more specific drinking water for example. If drinking water isn’t up to requirements in quality or is either dirty/been contaminated, it can become a serious health risk to workers who may use this facility. Next is to find out how to evaluate the drinking water and maintain it to the best quality. As mentioned previously the WRA helps provide occupations with the requirements. For drinking water, they go as followed… Drinking water should normally be obtained directly from a suitable public or private mains supply. If a cistern, tank, or vessel is used as a supply, it should be well covered, kept clean and tested and disinfected as necessary. Drinking water taps should not be installed in places where contamination is likely, for example in a workshop where lead is handled or processed. Drinking cups should be supplied unless supply is through a fountain. The WRA suggests that drinking water should be accessible. The WRA however does not specify how often the drinking water is evaluated or many other elements that come into welfare. It’s up to the occupation to have efficient plans in place to help maintain the quality of the drinking water and that it doesn’t become contaminated or a risk to worker help. If all requirements of the WRA are followed correctly, the risk will be lowered drastically and may not require checks as often unless a major issue arises such as the water becoming discoloured or so on.

Some welfare standards may have many more requirements. Toilets are something that comes into this category. This is because there’s different usages of toilets such as single, shared and have various facilities amongst them that need to be evaluated. For example, that toilets are sufficient and suitable, adequately ventilated and lit and kept in a clean and orderly condition. Toilets also must be at an adequate/reasonable temperature. Toilets also require sewer systems to be evaluated and up to a good standard. As what can be seen, toilets have many requirements that can help with keeping good welfare in the workplace. Like with drinking water, how often toilets in the workplace are evaluated and monitored are dependant on the occupations themselves for example how often they are cleaned though unlike with other welfare elements like drinking water it is recommended that the toilets are cleaned every day. It’s up to the occupation whether they do this though in not doing so could lead to them facing welfare issues. Sometimes different welfare elements intertwine. Take the two examples used so far. It is a requirement that drinking water isn’t provided in toilet facilities due to the water easily being contaminated. When it comes to the standard welfare procedures most of the requirements are mostly straight forward and following the WRA will help maintain good welfare amongst the occupation.

Now onto the welfare procedures that may have special requirements. Many facilities may also have special requirements in case of accessibility for that either for the disabled, pregnant woman and so on. Rest rooms and toilets are facilities that have many special requirements. For pregnant women the WRA says suitable facilities shall be provided for any person at work who is a pregnant woman or nursing mother to rest. These may include things such as an area to lay down if needed. The requirements allow the pregnant woman to be at ease and comfortable in the workplace during a period that can cause tiredness, stress, and pain. The disabled also have various requirements within rest rooms and toilets. The WRA says regarding the disabled, where necessary, those parts of the workplace (including in particular doors, passageways, stairs, showers, washbasins, lavatories and workstations) used or occupied directly by disabled persons at work shall be organised to take account of such persons. Special requirements within rest rooms and toilets include wheelchair access, ramps, self-contained toilets, etc. It’s dependant on the person whether any additional requirements are put in place in these facilities if it provided ease and comfortability to the worker, it should be considered by the occupation. As a minimum, occupations should have some special requirements taken care of in case of a worker needing them whether that is adequate wheelchair access within the workplace or something along those lines.



Occupations need to keep their welfare up to a good standard; bad welfare can lead to risks in health but also unease and lack of comfortability amongst workers especially amongst those that have special requirements such as disabilities. Like with any other standard of occupation safety there could be major consequences if the welfare isn’t kept up to a good standard which could really hurt an occupation in the long term. Therefore, every occupation must continuously evaluate and maintain the welfare within themselves.