Toilet planning belongs in site establishment. The useful starting point is a clear picture of who will work on the site, which facilities are available to them and who will keep those facilities usable as the job changes.

Use this checklist with the person responsible for your project’s health and safety arrangements. It is a planning aid; the applicable regulations and site specification determine the provision required.

Start with the workforce and programme

Record the expected workforce, sexes, shifts and likely peak numbers. Include subcontractors and other people who will actually use the facilities. Note when the workforce increases, moves to another work area or starts working outside the original hours.

Check whether existing facilities are genuinely available. A toilet inside a locked building or beyond an area workers cannot enter may not solve the site’s welfare needs.

Read the applicable welfare requirements

Regulation 30 of the Construction Regulations, 2014 addresses employee facilities, including sanitary and washing facilities, and their condition. Read the full provision alongside your project specification. Avoid reducing a construction requirement to a generic “people per portaloo” rule for every setting.

A proposed replacement was published for comment in March 2025. The source check for this guide on 19 October 2026 did not locate a final replacement or commencement notice. Confirm the current applicable text before relying on a numerical minimum. Draft proposals should not be treated as operative requirements.

Discuss toilets, washing, changing, eating and drinking-water arrangements together with the responsible site team. Hiring a cubicle addresses only part of that discussion.

Put facilities on the site plan

Mark the toilet positions, handwashing points, pedestrian routes and servicing route. Check the ground, lighting, weather exposure and separation from moving plant. Confirm the location with the equipment operator before delivery.

As construction progresses, a convenient position can become blocked by stored materials, fencing or excavations. Include facilities in layout reviews and agree how relocations will be requested. The placement checklist covers access questions in more detail.

Assign maintenance responsibilities

Write down who checks floors, locks, paper, soap and water during each shift. Separately confirm the supplier’s tank-emptying and technical service scope. Make sure the servicing vehicle can still reach the facilities after the site is occupied.

Agree how a defect, missed visit or blocked access is reported. Keep a usable alternative available through the site’s agreed arrangements when a unit is out of service.

A briefing sheet to complete

Planning question Your site record
Who will use the facilities, and on which shifts? Workforce and expected peak
What requirements apply? Current regulation and site specification references
Which equipment is proposed? Unit types and confirmed provision
Where will it go? Marked plan and pedestrian route
Who checks it daily? Named person for each shift
Who services it? Agreed scope, access and reporting contact
When must the plan be reviewed? Workforce and layout change points

Use the completed brief when discussing construction toilet hire. Review it when conditions change rather than assuming the original arrangement remains suitable throughout the project.

Sources and further reading

Primary sources used for the factual references in this guide. Site conditions, contract documents and applicable local requirements still need to be checked for your project.

Published by Titan Toilet Hire.