Access to welfare facilities at work

Workers who visit worksites as part of their work must be provided with safe and easy access to welfare facilities such as toilets and handwashing facilities on site as required by the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. This includes drivers carrying out deliveries to and collections from a worksite. Refusing access, or not providing suitable facilities, is against the law.

What drivers should be provided with

Drivers should be provided with a dedicated waiting or rest area where possible, from where they can access toilets and handwashing facilities. If there is no suitable waiting room or area, drivers should wait in their cabs while their vehicles are being loaded or unloaded.

You must ensure drivers waiting in their cabs still have safe and easy access to welfare facilities on site. Any walkways should be clearly marked and signposted and protected from vehicle incursion.

You must also consider the risk of driveaway incidents (where the driver accidentally sets off before loading/unloading is finished) and take steps to control it that are equivalent in safety to removing the driver from the cab. More information can be found at Workplace transport safety - A guide to workplace transport safety.