Requirement

Sanitary conveniences and washing facilities

(1) Adequate and suitable sanitary conveniences must be provided in rooms provided to accommodate them or in bathrooms.

(2) Adequate hand washing facilities must be provided in:

(a) rooms containing sanitary conveniences; or

(b) rooms or spaces adjacent to rooms containing sanitary conveniences.

(3) Any room containing a sanitary convenience, a bidet, or any facility for washing hands provided in accordance with paragraph (2)(b), must be separated from any kitchen or any area where food is prepared.

General

4.1 Attention is also drawn to the requirements for accessible sanitary conveniences and hand washing facilities of Part M (Access to and use of buildings) of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2010 and to Approved Document M and to the Regulators’ performance specification made under the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 (SI 1999/1148 as amended) for WC suites.

4.2 Requirement for ventilation is in Part F (Ventilation) of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2010. Guidance on ventilation of sanitary accommodation is given in Approved Document F.

4.3 The number, type and siting of sanitary conveniences, including separate provision for men and women, for staff in workplaces are also subject to the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. Attention is drawn to the Approved Code of Practice issued with respect to those Regulations.

4.4 Further guidance on washbasins associated with sanitary conveniences may be found in the Food Standards Agency’s Code of Practice Food hygiene – a guide for businesses.

4.5 Guidance on the selection, installation and maintenance of sanitary appliances including composting toilets may be found in BS 6465- 3:2006 Sanitary installations. Code of practice for the selection, installation and maintenance of sanitary and associated appliances.

4.6 Where hot and cold taps are provided in a sanitary appliance, the hot tap should be on the left.

Scale of provision and layout in dwellings

4.7 Any dwelling (house or flat) should have at least one sanitary convenience and associated hand washing facility. This will include a WC provided in accordance with requirement M4(1) (Sanitary conveniences in dwellings) of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2010 and with Approved Document M, Volume 1.

Note Requirement M4(1) requires that a sanitary convenience should be located in the principal/entrance storey of a dwelling.

4.8 Where additional sanitary conveniences are provided, each should have an associated hand washing facility.

4.9 To allow for basic hygiene, hand washing facilities should be located in:

a. the room containing the sanitary convenience; or

b. an adjacent room or place that provides the sole means of access to the room containing the sanitary convenience (provided that it is not used for the preparation of food).

4.10 A place containing a sanitary convenience and/or associated hand washing facilities should be separated by a door from any place used for the preparation of food (including a kitchen) (see Diagrams 2 and 3).

Note In dwellings, a room containing both a sanitary convenience and a basin for hand washing does not need a separation lobby between this room and a kitchen or food preparation area (Diagram 2). The layout for a room containing a sanitary convenience only should be such that the room or space containing its associated hand washing facilities is accessed before entry to a food preparation area, and is separated from that area by a door (Diagram 3).

4.11 Guidance on the provision of activity space around sanitary appliances is given in BS 6465-2:1996 Sanitary installations. Code of practice for space requirements for sanitary appliances.

Diagram 2 Separation between hand washbasin/WC and food preparation area - single room

Diagram 3 Separation between hand washbasin/WC and food preparation area - two rooms

Scale of provision and layout in buildings other than dwellings

4.12 The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 require that a minimum number of sanitary conveniences must be provided in workplaces. The Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) that supports those Regulations sets out how to calculate that minimum requirement (guidance on those minimum numbers can be found at http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg293.pdf).

4.13 Part M of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2010 sets out requirements relating to access to and use of buildings. Approved Document M provides guidance on the provision of suitable sanitary accommodation. Such accommodation may form part of the total number of sanitary conveniences provided within a building.

4.14 Further guidance on the provision of sanitary conveniences can be found in BS 6465-1:2006 + A1:2009 Sanitary installations. Code of practice for the design of sanitary facilities and scales of provision of sanitary and associated appliances. This may be used for those building types not set out in paragraph 4.12 above or for those workplaces where the applicant wishes to provide more than the minimum recommended in the Approved Code of Practice, for example, to deliver equivalent provision for men and women.

4.15 A sanitary convenience may be provided in:

a. a self-contained room which also contains hand washing facilities;

b. in a cubicle with shared hand washing facilities located in a room containing a number of cubicles; or

c. in a self-contained room with hand washing facilities provided in an adjacent room.

4.16 Urinals, WC cubicles and hand washing facilities may be in the same room.

4.17 A place containing a sanitary convenience and/or associated hand washing facilities should be separated by a door from any place used for the preparation of food (including a kitchen).

Note For workplaces, the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 apply to the separation of a place containing a sanitary convenience and/or associated hand washing facilities and a workplace.

4.18 Guidance on the provision of activity space around sanitary appliances is given in BS 6465-2:1996 Sanitary installations. Code of practice for space requirements for sanitary appliances.

Chemical and composting toilets

4.19 Chemical toilets or composting toilets may be used where:

a. suitable arrangements can be made for the disposal of the waste either on or off the site; and

b. the waste can be removed from the premises without carrying it through any living space or food preparation areas (including a kitchen); and

c. no part of the installation would be installed in any places where it might be rendered ineffective by the entry of flood water.

4.20 There are currently no British or European standards for composting toilets. Appropriate guidance can be found in ANSI/NSF 41:2005 as amended by Addendum 1:2007 Non-liquid saturated treatment system.

4.21 Composting toilets should not be connected to an energy source other than for purposes of ventilation or sustaining the composting process.

Discharges to drains

Note See Approved Document for requirement H1 Sanitary pipework and drainage for guidance on provision for traps, branch discharge pipes, discharge stacks and foul drains.

4.22 Any WC fitted with flushing apparatus should discharge to an adequate system of drainage.

4.23 A urinal fitted with flushing apparatus should discharge through a grating, a trap or mechanical seal and a branch pipe to a discharge stack or a drain.

4.24 A WC fitted with a macerator and pump may be connected to a small bore drainage system discharging to a discharge stack if:

a. there is also access to a WC discharging directly to a gravity system; and

b. the macerator and pump meets the requirements of BS EN 12050-1:2001 Wastewater lifting plants for buildings and sites. Principles of construction and testing. Lifting plants for wastewater containing faecal matter or BS EN 12050-3:2001 Wastewater lifting plants for buildings and sites. Principles of construction and testing. Lifting plants for
wastewater containing faecal matter for limited applications.

Note Where grey water recycling is used, lower overall flows are to be expected and this should be taken into account in drain design. This is particularly relevant at the head of the drain where only one building is connected to the drain.

G4: Sanitary conveniences and washing facilities