Construction workers across British Columbia will soon have access to something those in most other industries take for granted: flush toilets and a place to wash their hands.

Effective October 1, sites with more than 25 employees will have to ditch their ubiquitous portable toilets and ensure proper facilities are available.

"We all know how unpleasant port-a-potties can be, but this is actually a health-and-safety issue for construction workers," Minister of Labour Harry Bains said in a press release. "We have heard clearly from the building sector that it is an important issue for workers, and it contributes to the sector’s ability to attract and retain workers, including women."

Under the new requirements, toilets must be "connected to a sewer system or holding tank, and use a flow of clean water or a mixture of clean water and chemicals to flush the bowl."

They must also have "hand-washing facilities with soap and water, or other methods of hand-cleaning," and employers will be required to "ensure washrooms are well-maintained, clean, ventilated and provide privacy."

"I love my job, but one of the worst parts of going to work is facing the nasty conditions inside of construction-site port-a-potties," IBEW 213 and Build TogetHER BC board member Tiffany Madden lamented. "These new rules mean myself and my colleagues will be treated with the basic dignity of having flushing toilets with running water."

Other construction workers shared her sentiments, with many decrying the "nasty" conditions they're forced to relieve themselves in on site.

One day-labourer working on Robson St. downtown Vancouver told the Western Standard that while port-a-potties work just fine on smaller sites, it's "definitely needed" on bigger projects.

"I worked at a couple towers that had port-a-potties; they were disgusting," he recalled.

Motioning over to a new apartment complex going up a few blocks away, he estimated there were dozens of people working there. "Oh f*ck, I wouldn't even open the door," he said, referring to their portable toilets.

While the site on Robson was relatively clean and provided hand-washing stations near the toilets, workers at the building a few blocks away told the Western Standard that the massive crew shared a few port-a-potties, and that they had to go down a flight of stairs into the bowels of the structure to wash up.

Not everyone was sure the plan would achieve its intended goal of ensuring workers have access to sanitary facilities. In an interview with the Western Standard, a journeyman plumber who works at sites across the Lower Mainland argued that while female employees deserved it, the men "abuse the port-a-john too much to get a proper toilet."

He added that he would personally love to have better facilities, adding, "I always wait 'til I get home cause I'm paranoid of the port-a-john getting knocked over."

As a plumber, he raised a number of questions regarding logistics, such as who would pay for installation and takedown, and how to keep it from freezing in the winter. "Who pays for it?" he asked.

Jarryd Jäger