{"id":14193,"date":"2023-03-15T07:56:23","date_gmt":"2023-03-15T14:56:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/ontario-plans-to-require-women-only-bathrooms-on-large-construction-sites\/"},"modified":"2023-03-15T07:56:27","modified_gmt":"2023-03-15T14:56:27","slug":"ontario-plans-to-require-women-only-bathrooms-on-large-construction-sites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/essential.construction\/news\/ontario-plans-to-require-women-only-bathrooms-on-large-construction-sites\/","title":{"rendered":"Ontario plans to require women only bathrooms on large\u00a0construction\u00a0sites"},"content":{"rendered":"

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TORONTO \u2014 Ontario\u2019s labour minister is aiming to solve an excrement predicament.<\/p>\n

Monte McNaughton is set to announce Wednesday that he is proposing to amend rules about bathrooms on\u00a0construction\u00a0sites to make them cleaner, safer and provide some for women only.<\/p>\n

A Ministry of Labour bathroom inspection blitz last month at more than 1,800\u00a0construction\u00a0sites found 244 violations, the most common being no toilets provided, a lack of privacy, or a lack of cleaning.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn what other industry would this be acceptable, right?\u201d McNaughton said in an interview.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are men and women, not livestock, and it\u2019s important that they get the respect that they deserve. If we\u2019re going to encourage men and women into the skilled trades, then we need to ensure that we have proper facilities for them to use.\u201d<\/p>\n

McNaughton said he hears often from women in the skilled trades with stories about deplorable bathroom conditions. The labour minister set the stage for this announcement last month when he put out a call for workers to send him their bathroom horror stories.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just a big pile of feces,\u201d said ironworker Mahee de Repentigny in a video featured on McNaughton\u2019s Twitter feed.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo flushing, no water, no soap, no paper, no nothing. Might as well just go outside at that point.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said she will sometimes have to leave work to find a Tim Hortons bathroom because the toilet on the site feels unsafe.<\/p>\n

Requiring at least one women\u2019s only toilet on large\u00a0construction\u00a0sites is one of a host of regulatory changes McNaughton is proposing. They come in conjunction with labour legislation set to be introduced this spring that includes greater protections for remote workers in mass layoffs and other, yet-to-be-announced changes.<\/p>\n

The bathroom-related changes would also double the number of toilets required on\u00a0construction\u00a0sites, require adequate lighting, require hand sanitizer where there is no running water, and require single toilets to be completely enclosed. Some portable toilets are only three-quarters of an adult\u2019s height with no roof, McNaughton said. Those would be banned.<\/p>\n

Keeping toilets in a state of good repair is already required under current rules.<\/p>\n

\u201cClearly, that\u2019s not happening,\u201d McNaughton said. \u201cThis new legislation will enhance every tool that we have to ensure that washrooms are cleaner than they ever have been on job sites.\u201d<\/p>\n

It would also extend the good-repair requirement to urinals and cleanup facilities, such as stations with sinks.<\/p>\n

McNaughton is also proposing to strengthen language in a requirement that personal protective equipment be properly fitted, so women and \u201cworkers with diverse body types\u201d are specifically taken into account.<\/p>\n

The new rules would come into force on July 1, if approved and filed by the government.<\/p>\n

\u00a9 2023 The Canadian Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n