Non-workrooms

Non-workrooms

Non-workrooms are dressing rooms, washrooms, lavatories, resting and dining rooms at the workplace, and in addition, a drying room and a warmer or other equivalent place for field work. What kind of non-workrooms must be in the workplace depends on the work to be done and the working environment. The construction and furnishing of non-workrooms must take into account working conditions, the number of employees and the gender composition. For example, in a small company that does so-called office work, other non-workrooms are not essential in addition to the lavatory. Where breaks for rest and meals are provided for in order to ensure the health and safety of workers, the possibility of using a resting room must be ensured. If employees wear work clothes, they must be ensured the use of a dressing room and, for field workers, the use of a drying room and a warmer or other equivalent place.

Non-workrooms must be adequately lit, ventilated and the employer must ensure that the rooms are kept clean. The temperature in the non-workrooms must correspond to their intended use – for example, the air temperature in a washroom and a dressing room is higher than in a resting room. The thermal comfort of the employees should be taken into account when selecting the appropriate air temperature. The easiest way to determine this is to ask the employees for their opinion.

Workers must be provided with high-quality drinking water at the workplace that can be drunk from clean drinkware. This drinkware can be disposable or washable. Drinking water can be provided as both tap water and bottled water, as long as its quality meets the necessary requirements.

In areas of activity such as construction, fishing and extraction of mineral resources, there are special requirements for the non-workrooms due to the specific nature of the working conditions. 

Dressing room

A dressing room is necessary if employees are required to wear work clothes. Changing rooms must be sufficiently spacious and equipped with seats and lockable wardrobes. If the work is dusty, dirty, or involves dangerous chemicals or substances containing them, it must be possible to keep the work clothes in a separate locker or compartment in order to protect the worker's personal clothes. Men and women must have separate dressing rooms or use of the dressing rooms at different times – for example, men's work shifts start an hour later than for women, and the use of dressing rooms at different times has been agreed accordingly. 

If the work necessitates the drying of damp work clothes, shoes or towels, the employer must ensure that workers have access to a well-ventilated, sufficiently spacious drying chamber or cupboard. The moist air resulting from the drying process must not enter other rooms.

Employees who do not need a dressing room must be provided with a place to store their outerwear.

Resting room

The need for a separate resting room is assessed by the employer based on the working environment and the nature of the work, taking into account the opinion of the employees. Resting rooms must be provided for workers if this is necessary to ensure the health and safety of workers. For example, a resting room is important for health if the work takes place in a noisy working environment, in extreme temperatures or under the constant supervision of customers.

The resting room must be large enough, taking into account the number of employees and the organisation of work (all employees taking a break at the same time should be able to sit freely in the resting room), and tables and chairs with backrests are a mandatory furnishing element of the resting room.

The resting room is a non-smoking area.

If a separate resting room is not deemed necessary, another room must be provided for employees to stay during the rest breaks. A common example of such a work organisation is rest areas in offices – although there is no separate resting room, part of the general office space has been applied for rest breaks.

Lavatory

All workers must have access to a lavatory close to the workplace or to the dressing room and washroom during work. The lavatory is usually located on the employer's own premises, but in certain cases (e.g. small shops in a shopping centre, field work or construction work) the employer must make different arrangements for the use of a lavatory – for example, using the help of a portable toilet or a public toilet near the workplace.

There must be facilities for washing and drying hands in the lavatory.

Washroom

All employees must have access to washing facilities and a washbasin, which is equipped with hot and cold water – this is usually present in lavatories and a separate washroom is not always required.

A separate washroom equipped with showers and hot and cold water must be provided for employees if the work is physically demanding, dusty, dirty, involves the use of dangerous chemicals or substances containing them or takes place in high-temperature conditions. It is required that the washroom be located next to the dressing room.

There must be separate washrooms for men and women or an arrangement for separate use of the washroom at different times.

Non-workrooms in special conditions

In some areas of activity such as construction, fishing and extraction of mineral resources, there are special requirements for the non-workrooms due to the specific nature of the working conditions. 

A construction site must be equipped with ready-to-use non-workrooms even before construction begins. They must be located on or as close as possible to the construction site. The rooms can be adapted to the rooms to be renovated or to site huts for the intended purpose. In the case of a mobile site, such as road construction, or where the construction work on the site does not last longer than two weeks, the dressing rooms, drying chambers and washrooms may be located at the assembly point for workers.

Dressing rooms must be sufficiently spacious and equipped with seats and lockable wardrobes. There must be separate lockers or compartments for work and personal clothing. Drying chambers or cupboards which are sufficiently ventilated and of a suitable temperature must be provided for drying wet or damp clothing and footwear. The moist air resulting from the drying process must not enter other rooms.

If the nature of the work does not require work clothes, dressing rooms are not necessary, but each worker must be provided with a place to store outerwear and personal belongings.

If the work is physically demanding, dusty, dirty, involves the use of hazardous chemicals or substances containing them or takes place in high-temperature conditions, workers must be able to use hot and cold water showers, a minimum of one shower per 15 workers. If showers are not necessary, workers must be able to use washbasins with cold and, if necessary, hot water, at a rate of one washbasin for up to ten workers. There must be a sufficient number of lavatories on a construction site, but not less than one toilet per 15 workers. It must be possible to wash and dry your hands in the lavatory area. Employees must be able to eat and rest in suitable conditions. The resting room, a room adapted for resting or a site hut must be large enough and have a sufficient number of tables and chairs for the number of employees. If there is no on-site catering for the employees, conditions must be provided for storing and, if necessary, heating the food brought along.

Men and women must have separate dressing rooms and washrooms or an arrangement to use these rooms at different times. Lavatories must be separate for men and women, if possible. 

If, due to the nature of the work or the location of the construction site, it is necessary to provide regular accommodation for workers on the construction site, adequate sleeping accommodation must be provided. The rooms must be equipped with a number of beds, cupboards, tables and chairs with backrests appropriate to the number of employees. The gender composition of staff must be taken into account when planning sleeping quarters.

Requirements for accommodation and non-workrooms of crew members of fishing vessels

Where a fishing vessel has accommodation, its location, soundproofing, isolation and access must provide adequate protection for crew members during the rest period from the effects of the weather and sway and from vibrations, noise and unpleasant odours which may spread from other parts of the vessel. Where the construction, size and purpose of the fishing vessel so permit, the accommodation of the crew members must be located in the centre or aft of the vessel.

The general lighting of the accommodation must be at least 150 lux. Accommodation must be adequately lit: by one or more general lighting devices which must be dimmable to avoid disturbing crew members at rest; with a spotlight above each berth.

The temperature in the accommodation and non-workrooms of the crew must be kept between +20 °C and +25 °C and the ventilation of the accommodation must be at least 7 l/s m ² with general ventilation to prevent condensation.

Where a fishing vessel has a galley and a mess, they should be of sufficient size for the number of crew members, well-lit and ventilated, with easy-to-clean surfaces and a refrigerator. General ventilation must ensure galley ventilation of at least 15 l/s m².

Fishing vessels must have dry toilets and ventilated washrooms with washbasins and, if possible, showers. Fishing vessels with accommodation must have washbasins and showers with hot and cold running water. Each crew member must have a place to store their clothes.

The requirements are set out in a Regulation of the Government of the Republic, adopted on 17 May 2001, No. 173 ‘Occupational health and safety requirements for fishing vessels’.

See also the Regulation of the Government of the Republic, adopted on 10 July 2014, No. 112 ‘Requirements for the crew member's accommodation on board’.

In the case of the extraction of mineral resources, workers must be provided with dressing rooms that are easily accessible. Dressing rooms must have seats and lockable wardrobes. Where circumstances (e.g. hazardous substances, humidity, dirt) so require, separate lockers must be provided for work clothes and personal clothes. If dressing rooms are not required, the worker must have a place to store their clothes.

If the working conditions so require, the employer must ensure that workers have access to a shower. Washrooms must be located in the immediate vicinity of the dressing rooms, adequately spacious and provided with hot and cold running water. If showers are not required, there must be a sufficient number of washbasins with hot and cold running water in the washroom. There must be a sufficient number of lavatories and washbasins in the vicinity of workplaces, resting rooms, dressing rooms and washrooms. It must be possible to wash and dry your hands in the lavatory area. Separate dressing rooms, showers, washbasins and lavatories must generally be provided for men and women.

The employer shall ensure that the non-workrooms are kept clean.

In the case of an underground mine, the non-workrooms may be located on the ground.