Site Welfare Facilities: What Workers Must Be Provided With

Site welfare facilities are the basic amenities that must be available to construction workers: toilets, washing facilities, drinking water, somewhere to change and store clothing, and somewhere to rest and eat. They are not a luxury. They are part of the health and safety arrangements for the job, and they have to be planned for before work begins and kept in working order until it ends. This guide sets out what the facilities are, who is responsible and what you should expect to find.

Key takeaways

Why welfare is part of safety

Welfare can look like a separate topic from falls, lifting and electricity, but HSE treats it as part of managing health on construction sites. Tired, cold or dehydrated workers make more mistakes. Workers who cannot wash properly after handling cement, solvents, dust or contaminated ground are more likely to suffer skin and other health problems. Workers who have to eat in the work area risk swallowing dust or harmful substances.

The HSE construction welfare page sits within HSE's health risks material for exactly this reason. Good welfare is one of the simplest ways to protect health on site.

What facilities are expected

The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, known as CDM 2015, set out welfare requirements for construction sites. HSE describes the types of facility, and you should read its page for the full detail and current wording. The main headings are as follows.

Toilets

Suitable and sufficient toilets must be available, kept clean, and, so far as is reasonably practicable, ventilated and lit (CDM 2015, Schedule 2, paragraph 1). Where more than one person uses them, the arrangements must allow for privacy, for example by having separate facilities for men and women or lockable rooms. The toilets should be reasonably close to where people are working, and not so far away that they are hard to reach in practice.

Washing facilities

Washing facilities should be near the toilets and any changing areas. They should have a supply of clean water, soap or another cleaning agent, and a way of drying hands and skin. Where the work is particularly dirty or involves substances that are harmful, the facilities need to be capable of dealing with that. A bucket by a standpipe does not meet the aim.

Drinking water

A supply of drinking water must be available (CDM 2015, Schedule 2, paragraph 3), and it should be clearly marked as such so nobody confuses it with water that is not fit to drink. Cups or another way of drinking from it hygienically should be provided where needed.

Changing facilities and storage

Where workers need to change into work clothes, or where their clothes could be contaminated, there should be somewhere to change and somewhere to store clothes and personal belongings. Wet clothes need somewhere to dry. Work clothing and ordinary clothing should be kept apart where contamination is a concern.

Rest facilities

Rest facilities should allow people to take breaks and eat meals away from the work, with seating, a means to prepare or heat food and drink, and somewhere to stay warm. They should be arranged so that people are protected from the weather and are not exposed to tobacco smoke where non-smoking arrangements apply.

Treat this as a guide to the headings rather than a full statement of the law. If you need the precise requirements, use the HSE page.

Planning for welfare

Welfare is part of the planning duty. Under CDM 2015, the client must make sure the arrangements for managing a project include suitable welfare, and the principal contractor (or the contractor on a single-contractor job) is responsible for making sure the facilities are provided and are kept in good condition from the start of the work. Planning for welfare normally means thinking about:

• how many people will be on site at different stages, so the facilities are enough;
• where the facilities will go, so they are close to the work and not blocked by deliveries or plant;
• how they will connect to services such as water, drainage and power, or what alternatives will be used if mains services are not available;
• how often they will be cleaned, restocked and emptied;
• what changes when the project moves from one phase to the next, or when the site layout shifts;
• the needs of particular workers, including those with disabilities, and of anyone who needs a private space.

HSE's wider list of construction safety topics shows the other matters that have to be planned for from the start of a project, and welfare belongs in the same planning.

Welfare in practice: a site walk-round checklist

Use this as a quick check when you arrive on site, or when you are revising for the exam.

If something fails the check, tell the site manager or supervisor. Do not simply put up with it.

Your own part

The people who run the site provide the facilities, but everyone on site uses them, and everyone has a part in keeping them usable. In practice this means:

• using the toilets and washing facilities properly and leaving them clean;
• washing your hands before eating, drinking or smoking, and after using the toilet;
• not eating or drinking in areas where dust or hazardous substances are present;
• taking off dirty or contaminated clothing before going into the rest area;
• reporting damage, shortages or cleaning problems promptly.

Welfare is often covered at induction, so listen for where the facilities are and any rules about them. See site induction explained for what else the induction should tell you. If you or someone else is injured or taken ill on site, welfare is not the answer, so look at first aid on site for what should be in place.

Practice check

These are original questions for revision. They are not official CITB questions and a score here is not an official result. This site is independent and is not affiliated with CSCS or CITB.

Question 1. Which is the best place to eat your lunch on a dusty construction site?

• A. At your work position, to save time
• B. In the designated rest area, after washing your hands
• C. Next to the cement mixer
• D. In the cab of a plant machine

Answer: B. Eating in the rest area, after washing, avoids swallowing dust or harmful substances from the work area.

Question 2. At what point should welfare facilities be thought about?

• A. At the planning stage, before work starts
• B. After the first complaint
• C. Only when the site gets busy
• D. At the end of the project

Answer: A. Welfare is part of planning, so the facilities are in place when workers arrive and stay available throughout the work.

For more practice, try the free practice questions.

FAQ

Sources

• HSE: Construction welfare
• HSE: Construction safety topics
• Legislation.gov.uk: Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015

Independent guide, not affiliated with, authorised by, approved by or endorsed by CSCS or CITB. Last updated 2026-10-08.