Inclusive Bathrooms

Inclusive bathrooms are bathrooms that accommodate the health and wellbeing needs of a diversity of employees in the workplace.

Workplaces are required to provide safe and clean toilets for all workers while they are at work (Safe Work Australia Code of Practice: ‘Managing the Work Environment and Facilities’). The National Construction Code also stipulates the number of male, female, and unisex accessible (see note) sanitary facilities required for Australian buildings based on buildings’ occupancy.

Workers of all genders, people with disability or health conditions, and people of varied faiths and religions may have different needs when it comes to sanitary facilities or toilets. Considering these needs is an important part of providing a safe work environment that supports your employees’ health and wellbeing.

For example:

• Single gender bathrooms for men and women may not reflect the gender identity of all workers, such as non-binary and gender diverse employees. Equally, bathrooms labelled as ‘unisex’ imply a male/female binary which excludes non-binary and gender diverse people. DCA recommends ‘all-gender’ as an inclusive term that serves the same purpose.
• Some workers may only feel comfortable sharing bathroom facilities with people of the same gender due to their cultural or religious beliefs, such as some members of Muslim, Orthodox Jewish and Hindu communities.
• Women and girls, including trans women and trans girls, may feel safer sharing spaces with people of the same gender, especially for workers who have experienced sexual or gender-based violence. For women and girls, factors such as cleanliness, clear sight-lines, location and general security all impact on perceptions of safety (in single gender and all gender bathrooms).
• Standard ‘unisex accessible’ bathrooms (see note) may not meet the needs of all workers with disability, such as people with quadriplegia who may not be able to use upright seated toilets.
• Workers may require sanitary bins and access to sanitary products that aren’t available in the bathroom designated for their gender

By making bathrooms accessible to as many people as possible, you can make your workplace more inclusive.

Note: Currently, the Safe Work Australia Code of Practice and National Construction Code use binary language to describe facilities requirements on the basis of sex. ‘Unisex accessible’ toilets refer to bathrooms with support rails and additional space for mobility aids such as wheelchairs. The Australian Building Codes Board is currently consulting on changes to the National Construction Code, including accommodating the provision of all gender bathrooms, and altering the terminology from ‘unisex accessible’ to ‘accessible’.

Read & learn more:

• The Conversation, Bathrooms are political: how gender-inclusive toilets can combat indignity and violence
• InterBuild, Is your building inc-loo-sive?
• DCA resources: Culture & Religion, Disability & Accessibility, Gender & LGBTIQ+ employees

Why are inclusive bathrooms important, and how can workplaces ensure their bathrooms are inclusive of a diversity of employees?

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