Access to Sanitation Facilities

Access to safe, clean and appropriate sanitation facilities is an established human right. Denying it exposes workers to preventable illness, undermines safety, equality and dignity, drives workforce shortages and systemic gender inequality, and exposes companies to legal and reputational risk. 

High mobility transport work limits access to toilets, rest areas and sanitation facilities - and scheduling pressure, unrealistic turnaround times and performance targets often prevent workers from accessing facilities when they need them. 

Lack of sanitation facilities can force workers to delay using facilities or avoid hydration, raising the risk of dehydration, infections and long-term health impacts. In safety-critical roles, the resulting loss of concentration poses significant risk to workers, passengers, the public, vehicles, ships and infrastructure. 

Women transport workers face particular harm. Menstruation, pregnancy and menopause require timely, private access to safe facilities. Where toilets are unsafe or badly located, women face increased exposure to violence and harassment – a direct deterrent to entering and remaining in the sector. Older workers, disabled workers and those with medical conditions are similarly exposed where accessible facilities are not available.

What effective HREDD requires

Companies must ensure access to safe, clean, secure and gender-appropriate sanitation facilities, drinking water and rest areas across all operations. Accountability for sanitation access must extend throughout all operations including contracting chains and third-party relationships. 

To identify and address harm, companies must examine scheduling, turnaround times, route planning and performance targets to ensure workers are able to take necessary breaks and access facilities. 

Provision must go beyond minimum compliance. Facilities must be safe, hygienic, maintained, accessible and appropriately located, and must meet the specific needs of women, men, gender-diverse, older and disabled workers. 

Effective implementation requires engagement with workers and their trade unions to identify risks, monitor standards and ensure protections are applied in practice.