Petition demands better sanitary disposal provision for women engineers onsite

Engineering geologist Charity Rose set up the Parliamentary appeal, calling for Government to approve a change to the current Construction Design and Management (CDM) Regulations.

“The Government should add a definition of ‘sanitary conveniences’ to the CDM Regulations which includes ‘sanitary waste disposal facilities’. The Government should also specify the minimum number of such facilities required,” demands the petition in its introduction.

Rose’s campaign has won support from the co-founder of UK bleach free period care brand &SISTERS, Lucy Lettice who said it highlighted the problem in traditionally male-dominated workplaces such as construction.

"Sanitary disposal facilities should be a mandatory requirement in all toilets. It is unacceptable that individuals are having to find alternative ways to dispose of their period products during the middle of their working day,” she commented.

“Why do we consider toilet rolls and bandages necessary but not period care?" 

With menstrual cycles typically occurring once a month and lasting between three and eight days, the petitioners say, individuals may have to travel off-site, place the waste in their own bag, or even take time off work to deal with their menstruation.

According to EngineeringUK, in 2021, women comprised 16.5% of all engineers in the UK, or 936,000 overall. Although this is one of the lowest proportions in Europe and smaller than many developing countries, the number of UK women engineers has increased by more than two thirds in a little over a decade.

However, the engineering sector has for years suffered from a shortfall of skilled new recruits – something that would be largely offset by boosting the number of women to match their male counterparts.

But in areas such as construction, one of the main areas of engineering employment, a sizeable minority lag behind in providing such services as women-only toilet facilities.

Lettice said current CDM regulations did not specifically include sanitary waste disposal facilities, only ‘suitable and sufficient sanitary conveniences’.

“This has become a loophole where women are being disproportionately negatively impacted. Women are currently a minority in the industry and they need allies in order to support and encourage them to stay working in the industry.

She added that, as the 1992 Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations did not cover all construction sites, menstruation rights were not currently protected in every workplace.

“We cannot trust in employers to ‘do the right thing’ and must include the mandatory instalment of sanitary waste disposal facilities at all construction sites,” she commented.

PIC: Tim Mossholder@pexels