what is the law or rule for providing a working restroom and running water for employees? our restrooms have been out of order since last night and my employer is requiring us to drive to a branch to use the facilities there. they don't know when it will be repaired. we have no running water at this time, either.

That may be an act of God. Laws vary and this would appear to be temporary. Are you saying the branch should shut down because you have no water? If the water line is broken, it is beyond the banks control. You are not a food service organization. You don't need water to open. I would hope there is a restroom you could use closer than your nearest branch, but I'm guessing everyone around you is also without water.

You could ask for a porta-potty to be placed there temporarily. But do you want that in the parking lot?

this is our corporate office. huge building, with 50+ employees. including a branch. it is not an act of god, our sewage pump is busted and has been since last night. we have no restrooms or running water.

i think driving to another branch puts the staff at risk on bank time....as well. the branch is a mile away.

This happened to our branch awhile back...we walked next door to the grocery store as needed.

it is also backed up in our basement and smells.

i just think this is an osha issue and we shouldn't be here but i am not finding any luck finding information.

here, try this site:

http://www.americanrestroom.org/

Find a plumber. Do you really want to (excuse the pun) raise a stink over this? It should be a temporary issue. The cost of the most expensive plumber has to be less than relocating an entire office. IT security and all other issues would be huge.

I'm not sure what risk you see by employees having to use a restroom elsewhere. They go to lunch and go home so they are used to leaving the bank. My advice is to impress upon management that it should be repaired as a health and welfare issue and get over it. Only if management isn't going to repair it would I be concerned. (It also may be the building owners responsibility, which may not be the bank.)

Here - it's an OSHA issue:

http://www.americanrestroom.org/gov/ohsa/index.htm


http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9790


The first link is an interpretation and the second is from the CFR.

Yes, and under labor laws they are entitled to leave on their lunch break. If they leave the premises on other "breaks" it opens up an entirely different issue becuase you are on "bank time".

I agree, it is a temporary issue. However, I don't think it is sanitary having the sewage back up into the building we are working in with the smell of it. It is a sanitation issue more so then anything else.

On a side note, I can't believe americanrestroom.org is a legit association (at least I think)!!

I agree with Andy - clearly the issue is temporary and (I presume) someone is working on it. Imo, OSHA would tell you that you're being unreasonable. From the website:

OSHA has also made this point clear in a number of letters it has issued since the standard was promulgated. For example, in March 1976, OSHA explained to Aeroil Products Company that it would not necessarily violate the standard by having a small single-story building with no toilet facilities separated by 90 feet of pavement from a building that had the required facilities, so long as the employees in the smaller building had "unobstructed free access to the toilet facilities." Later that year, it explained again, in response to a question about toilet facilities at a U-Haul site, "reasonableness in evaluating the availability of sanitary facilities will be the rule." Again in 1983, OSHA responded to a request for a clarification of the standard by stating, "([i]f an employer provides the required toilet facilities ... and provides unobstructed free access to them, it appears the intent of the standard would be met."

In light of the standard's purpose of protecting employees from the hazards created when toilets are not available, it is clear that the standard requires employers to allow employees prompt access to sanitary facilities. Restrictions on access must be reasonable, and may not cause extended delays. For example, a number of employers have instituted signal or relief worker systems for employees working on assembly lines or in other jobs where any employee's absence, even for the brief time it takes to go to the bathroom, would be disruptive. Under these systems, an employee who needs to use the bathroom gives some sort of a signal so that another employee may provide relief while the first employee is away from the work station. As long as there are sufficient relief workers to assure that employees need not wait an unreasonably long time to use the bathroom, OSHA believes that these systems comply with the standard.

Citation Policy

Employee complaints of restrictions on toilet facility use should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to determine whether the restrictions are reasonable. Careful consideration must be given to the nature of the restriction, including the length of time that employees are required to delay bathroom use, and the employer's explanation for the restriction. In addition, the investigation should examine whether restrictions are general policy or arise only in particular circumstances or with particular supervisors, whether the employer policy recognizes individual medical needs, whether employees have reported adverse health effects, and the frequency with which employees are denied permission to use the toilet facilities. Knowledge of these factors is important not only to determine whether a citation will be issued, but also to decide how any violation will be characterized.

They are not making you drive 20 miles to the nearest restroom; they are making you drive one mile down the road in a temporary circumstance (hasn't even been one day) which has a very plausibly explanation and that is most likely being addressed as I type.

Another option if you don't feel comfortable working at that office is to ask your supervisor if you could work out of the nearby branch for a few days or until the problem is fixed.

Any updates?

Here - it's an OSHA issue:

http://www.americanrestroom.org/gov/ohsa/index.htm


http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9790
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LOL about the American Restroom one. They are so upscale and professional that they even refer to OSHA as OHSA. :-)

Has the issue been addressed?

Meanwhile, the shrubs and bushes at this branch have grown 3 feet.

I would have thought the opposite from all the amonia that's recently been introduced to them!!!

Wouldn't the septic system backing up be a health hazard, as in toxic waste? The health department would have to be notified. I can't imagine a building being kept open when something like this occurs.

I would be more concerned about that than having to use the rest rooms at a branch a mile away, although I can see people driving really fast to get to the branch!

From the workplace perspective rather than legal, I am sure the company is not happy about this either... filing complaints to DOL, OSHA, etc. and taking a legal route is not being a team player. They are working on the problem and are providing a solution for you in the meantime.

Employees make up the company and are largely responsible for the culture; with that being said, this is a time when employees need to pull together and work through the problem without it being a large distraction. It is an out of order bathroom, buck up and move on.

I'm sure your company is taking notice of employees that are moving forward in stride and those who are fretting.

As for the bank "putting the staff at risk" for making them drive 1 mile, I think you are greatly over-reacting.

we had an issue at a prior employer that our water was out for 2 days...we brought in a trailer-sized portable restroom, it was air conditioned and probably nicer than the ones in our office...that is always an option instead of the standard portapotty

Regulations like this are why this country is going down the drain