Site Conditions · 7 checks

Welfare Facilities
safety audit checklist

Toilets, washing, rest area, drinking water.

Every check below says what good looks like, when it passes, the regulation or HSE guidance it rests on and the defects that usually fail it. Critical checks are marked: a fail on one of those stops the activity.

  1. 1.
    Toilets clean and adequate for workforce numbers
    What to look forOne toilet per 7 male workers (mixed) or 5 if no urinals; one urinal per 25; one toilet per 5 female workers. Locks operational. Hand-washing within 10m. Adequate lighting, ventilation, hot and cold water, soap, towels.
    Acceptable whenProvision must meet Schedule 2 of CDM 2015 / Workplace (HSW) Regs 1992. Cleaned at least daily. Free of damage, hazards or build-up of waste. Sufficient toilet paper provided.
    StandardCDM 2015 Schedule 2, Welfare Facilities. Workplace (HSW) Regs 1992 Reg 20-21. HSE L153, Managing health and safety in construction.
    Common defectsInadequate ratio for workforce, one toilet for 30+ workersNo hand-washing facilities or no hot waterDoors without working locksBuild-up of waste / not cleaned dailyNo ventilation, extractor not workingFemale-only provision missing on mixed sites
  2. 2.
    Washing facilities with hot and cold water
    What to look forWash basins with both hot and cold (or warm) running water, soap and means of drying (paper towels, air dryer or clean fabric). Showers required where work is particularly dirty (concrete, lead, asbestos work) or where PPE decontamination needed. Anti-bacterial soap available.
    Acceptable whenCDM 2015 Sch 2 para 5, washing facilities at readily accessible places, with hot and cold (or warm) water, soap and towels. One basin per 5 workers minimum. Showers where contamination risk.
    StandardCDM 2015 Schedule 2 para 5. Workplace (HSW) Regs 1992 Reg 21. HSE L153.
    Common defectsCold water only, no boiler / boiler broken downNo soap dispenser or empty for daysSingle shared towel, hygiene riskNo basin for female-only WCShowers required (e.g. ground works in dirty conditions) but not provided
  3. 3.
    Drying room available
    What to look forHeated room or unit dedicated to drying wet PPE/clothing. Hooks, hangers or rails. Adequate ventilation to remove moisture. Separate from rest/eating area to avoid odours. Heat source running during work hours when needed.
    Acceptable whenCDM 2015 Sch 2 para 7, facilities for changing, drying clothing and storing both work and personal clothing where work is wet, dirty or where PPE storage required. Capacity matched to workforce.
    StandardCDM 2015 Schedule 2 para 7. Workplace (HSW) Regs 1992 Reg 23 & 24. HSE L153.
    Common defectsNo drying room provided despite outdoor wet worksHeater not working, wet PPE worn next dayNo ventilation, humid, mouldy, cross-contaminating rest areaInsufficient hooks/rails for team sizeDrying room being used as storage / not accessible
  4. 4.
    Rest area with seating and heating
    What to look forSeating with backs for all on shift, heated to minimum 16°C (Workplace Regs ACOP). Tables, means of boiling water and preparing/heating food. Drinking water. Non-smokers protected from tobacco smoke (smoking area separate and external).
    Acceptable whenCDM 2015 Sch 2 para 8, facilities for resting, eating meals and boiling water. Workplace temperature minimum 16°C (Workplace Regs ACOP). Sufficient seating with backs, separate from work areas.
    StandardCDM 2015 Schedule 2 para 8. Workplace (HSW) Regs 1992 Reg 25. Approved Code of Practice L24.
    Common defectsCold inside, heater off / broken, below 16°CInsufficient seating, operatives eating outsideNo means to heat food or boil waterSmoking inside breach of Health Act 2006Rest area used for storage of materials
  5. 5.
    Drinking water available and clearly marked
    What to look forWholesome drinking water from mains-fed tap or sealed bottled cooler. "DRINKING WATER" sign where confusion possible (ie not from a tap). Cups or fountain bowl provided. Replenished daily. Located away from contamination (chemical store, toilets).
    Acceptable whenCDM 2015 Sch 2 para 6, adequate supply of wholesome drinking water at readily accessible and suitable places. Marked where necessary to distinguish from non-potable. Cups or fountain available.
    StandardCDM 2015 Schedule 2 para 6. Workplace (HSW) Regs 1992 Reg 22. Water Supply (Water Quality) Regs 2016.
    Common defectsTap labelled "drinking water" actually fed from non-potable site supplyBottled cooler empty / no replacement bottlesNo cups or fountain bowl, operatives drinking from handsDrinking water tap close to chemical store or WCNot labelled where confusion with wash-only tap possible
  6. 6.
    Adequate lighting in welfare area
    What to look forMinimum 100 lux on general welfare cabin areas; 200 lux at tasks (reading, writing, food prep). All bulbs working. Emergency lighting where mains failure could leave area in darkness. Switches accessible at entry. No glare from bare bulbs.
    Acceptable whenBS EN 12464-1:2021 (indoor lighting). CDM 2015 Reg 44, every workplace lit by suitable and sufficient light. Welfare task areas 200 lux, general areas 100 lux minimum.
    StandardBS EN 12464-1:2021. CDM 2015 Reg 44. HSG38, Lighting at work. Workplace (HSW) Regs 1992 Reg 8.
    Common defectsBulbs blown, operatives changing in semi-darkNo emergency lighting in cabinSingle bulb covering whole canteen, glare and shadowLight switch outside cabin / faultySkylight blocked by snow/dirt with no internal lights
  7. 7.
    Welfare unit clean and well-maintained
    What to look forFloors swept and mopped daily. No food debris or vermin signs. PAT-tested appliances (kettle, microwave). External steps in good order with handrail. Cabin level, secured/braced against wind. Waste bins emptied, no overflow.
    Acceptable whenCDM 2015 Sch 2, welfare provision must be maintained in clean and orderly condition. Cleaning regime documented (daily/weekly). Cabin steps and platforms suitable for use, no trip or fall hazard.
    StandardCDM 2015 Schedule 2. Workplace (HSW) Regs 1992 Reg 9. INDG293, Welfare at work.
    Common defectsVisible mouse droppings / pest activityCleaning rota missing or not signed offStep into cabin loose or no handrailCabin not braced, moves underfootPAT labels expired on microwave/kettle

Questions people ask

How often should a welfare facilities audit be done?

Weekly is the common rhythm for a live site, plus whenever the work, the plant or the people change and after any incident or near miss. What matters is that it is scored, recorded, dated and the actions are closed out, not the exact frequency. Guidance, not legal advice.

What is the difference between a safety audit and an inspection?

An inspection looks at the site. An audit checks the system as well: is the paperwork there, do the people know it, is what was promised actually happening. On a small site the words blur, and that is fine. The checks below cover both.

What happens with a failed item?

A corrective action with an owner and a date, and a photo of the fail so nobody argues later. Where a check is marked critical, a fail stops that activity until it is put right.

Who should carry out the audit?

A competent person, and where possible not the person whose work is being looked at. The site manager auditing the site manager's housekeeping is better than nothing, but a visiting supervisor or the SHEQ lead sees what the regular eye has stopped noticing.

Is a site safety audit a legal requirement?

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require arrangements for monitoring your health and safety measures (regulation 5), and CDM 2015 requires every contractor to plan, manage and monitor the work under their control (regulation 15). A recorded, scored audit is how you show that is happening. Guidance, not legal advice.

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