FEATURE WASHROOMS
GOING PUBLIC
Stuart +ands from 7orN manufacturer (ssity looNs at how public washrooms can be confi gured
to ensure that people feel safe while 3aul Swift of hygiene serYices company (lis, outlines ten
simple Tuestions that business can asN themselYes to help improYe their washroom hygiene
Once again, we are all emerging back into the world a er a national
lockdown. There is a collective feeling of deja vu as we head back into
o ices, shops, restaurants, stadiums and town centres a er months spent
confined to our houses.
And just like last year, various strategies are being employed to ensure our safety
and instil public confidence.
Publicly-used washrooms are a particular area of concern as the world reopens.
Many people are nervous about using away-from-home toilets at the best of times
either for fear of picking up an infection or because they feel uncomfortable about
sharing an intimate space with strangers.
Ministers had a clear strategy for reopening washrooms at the end of Lockdown
One. In summer 2020, Local Government Minister Simon Clarke and Environment
30 JUNE 2021
Minister Rebecca Pow came up with a number of recommendations in a letter
addressed to councils.
These suggestions included the use of signs and posters to promote good
handwashing practices and the introduction of floor markers to encourage social
distancing.
A “one in, one out” strategy was mooted along with moves to enhance
ventilation and increase cleaning frequency. And it was stressed that hand
hygiene facilities should be made freely available in the form of running water,
liquid soap and a suitable hand drying option.
All these recommendations made sense in a world where a deadly virus was
thriving in stuˆ y, indoor environments where people gathered closely together.
But the implementation of some of these measures only served to heighten