BC government to require flushing toilets for construction site workers

It looks like workers at large construction sites in British Columbia are set to gain access to higher quality washrooms with flushing toilets.

This new direction was shared by Premier David Eby on Monday, when he addressed the BC Building Trades constitutional convention in Victoria.

And it comes just days after BC Building Trades launched a campaign advocating the provincial government to make the necessary policy changes to improve working and health safety conditions.

You might also like:
• No more porta potties: Construction workers need flushing toilets, says BC trades group
• Bad news for housing: 71,000 construction jobs shed in Canada this year to date
• Nailed it: Why Canada ranks fifth best for construction workers globally
• Shortage of construction workers is a major challenge for building new housing in BC: CMHC
• Home construction costs in Canada soared by 51% during the pandemic

Eby said the province will be bringing in a legal requirement for flushing toilets on job sites with 25 employees or more, which is fully aligned with BC Building Trades’ request.

“If we want people to work in the trades, if we want to show people that this is a great way to support your family and build your community, the basic ability to go to a bathroom that doesn’t stink, that isn’t a mess, where you can flush a toilet, is a basic requirement for a decent job site,” said the Premier.

Few details are available as the policies are in development, and no timeline has been established.

Currently, construction workers at sites are forced to use porta potties, which are described by the organization to be far from ideal — “unsanitary, filthy, stinky, unlit,” and without any heating or cooling.

“We are excited about the Premier’s responsiveness to this important issue,” said Brynn Bourke, executive director of the BC Building Trades Council, in a statement.

“With the Premier’s help, construction workers across the province will have markedly better sanitary conditions on site. They’ll also be given the dignity they deserve at work.”

BC Building Trades represents 22 craft construction unions and over 40,000 unionized workers across the province.

Similar major changes regulating the quality of the washroom facilities of construction sites were made in Quebec in 2015, and most recently by Ontario this past summer.

You might also like:
• No more porta potties: Construction workers need flushing toilets, says BC trades group
• Bad news for housing: 71,000 construction jobs shed in Canada this year to date
• Nailed it: Why Canada ranks fifth best for construction workers globally
• Shortage of construction workers is a major challenge for building new housing in BC: CMHC
• Home construction costs in Canada soared by 51% during the pandemic