FACILITIES INSPECTION & ASSESSMENT
A facilities inspection checks your workplace amenities against the Facilities Regulations, 2004, which every employer must meet. We cover toilets, washbasins, showers, change rooms, lockers, eating areas, drinking water and seating. Some are needed at every workplace. Others, such as showers, change rooms and a separate eating area, depend on the work people do.
The regulations print no toilet-per-employee ratio. They refer instead to SABS 0400, the code of practice for applying the National Building Regulations, now published as SANS 10400. We check your facilities against the regulations and SANS 10400, and give you a clear finding for each one, with photographs and a ranking of what to fix first.
WHY WORKPLACE FACILITIES MATTER
Good facilities protect employees' health, hygiene and dignity. When they fall short, hygiene suffers, illness becomes more likely, and comfort and morale drop. People exposed to hazardous chemicals, biological agents, poisonous substances, dust or dirt must have a separate place to eat. Eating, drinking and smoking in their work area must be prohibited.
Facilities are also part of preparing for an inspection by the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL). An inspector may arrive without notice and can direct you in writing to comply with a regulation within a set period. Our free Compliance Gap Assessment shows which other assessments your workplace needs and which are overdue.
The Facilities Regulations, 2004 are made under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993 (OHS Act). They require facilities that suit the nature of the work and the number of employees. The main duties are:
• Toilets, change rooms and eating areas (regulations 2 to 9): toilets and washbasins at every workplace, sized for the number of users, and the others where the work calls for them.
• Drinking water (regulation 7): it must comply with SANS 241. Test it if it does not come from a municipal supply, or if its quality is in doubt.
• Condition (regulation 9): every facility must be kept clean, hygienic, safe and in good repair.
The regulations set no fixed inspection interval and do not specify who must inspect. No approved inspection authority (AIA) is required, so a competent person can do it. Review your occupational health risk assessment under section 8(2)(d) of the OHS Act alongside it.
WHAT THE FACILITIES REGULATIONS REQUIRE
HOW WE CONDUCT A FACILITIES INSPECTION
Christo de Wet leads every facilities inspection. He is an occupational hygienist registered with the Southern African Institute for Occupational Hygiene (SAIOH), ROH 0953, with 15 years of experience.
Before the visit, we ask for your headcount per shift and by gender, the work done in each area and any earlier inspection findings.
On the day, we walk through every ablution block, shower, change room, locker area and eating area with you. We count toilets, urinals and washbasins against SABS 0400 for the number of people using each block. We check toilet paper, soap and towels, gender signs, privacy, ventilation, hot water and leaks. We look for marking on taps that do not supply drinking water, and for proper seats where work is done sitting. We check that drinking water is available, but we do not sample it for testing against SANS 241. Where the work calls for a separate eating area, we check for it and for signs prohibiting eating, drinking and smoking in the work area.
Afterwards, you receive a report in which each finding is photographed, linked to its regulation and ranked by what to fix first.
- • Every facility checked against the Facilities Regulations, 2004, regulation by regulation
• Toilet, urinal and washbasin numbers compared with SABS 0400 for the people using them
• Showers, change rooms, lockers and eating areas checked against the work done in each area
• Drinking water supply, and the marking of taps not fit for drinking
• Seating for seated work, and for people who normally stand so they can sit when the chance arises
• Non-conformances with photographs, ranked by what to fix first
• Practical recommendations, written for management, SHEQ teams and auditors
What affects the quote: time on site and travel. Time on site depends on the size of the site and the number of buildings and ablution blocks to cover. The quotation lists each service as its own line item.
WHAT YOUR FACILITIES REPORT INCLUDES
- How often must workplace facilities be inspected?
The Facilities Regulations, 2004 set no fixed interval, but every facility must be kept clean, hygienic, safe and in good repair (regulation 9). We recommend an inspection whenever headcount, shifts or the site layout change.
How many toilets does a workplace need?
The regulations print no ratio. They require sanitary facilities in line with Parts F, P and Q of SABS 0400, the code of practice for applying the National Building Regulations. Where fewer than 11 people are employed on the premises, the employer may arrange in writing for them to use facilities on adjoining premises. These must be freely accessible and meet SABS 0400 for the total number of users.
When is a separate eating area required?
When employees are exposed to hazardous chemical substances, hazardous biological agents, or dirt, dust or soot. The same applies to contact with poisonous substances that may cause illness if swallowed. It also covers work with untanned hides or skins, or unwashed wool or mohair. The eating area must be on the premises, with smoking, eating and drinking prohibited in the work area. Your occupational health risk assessment shows who is exposed.
Do we need an AIA for a facilities inspection?
No. The Facilities Regulations do not require an approved inspection authority and do not specify who must inspect, so a competent person can do it. What matters is fixing each non-conformance the inspection finds.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Free online tool: Compliance Gap Assessment. See what is due at your workplace
Occupational hygiene for warehousing, logistics and distribution
Occupational hygiene for food, beverage and cold chain
Occupational hygiene for abattoirs and meat processing
Toilets, change rooms and eating areas: the Facilities Regulations checklist
How to prepare for a Department of Employment and Labour inspection
What is an AIA inspection in South Africa, and which AIA do you need?
FREE TOOL AND ARTICLES
REQUEST A QUOTE
Request an obligation-free quotation with the site address, headcount per shift and number of ablution blocks and eating areas. We are a B-BBEE Level 2 contributor working in all nine provinces, and travel from Pretoria is quoted upfront.
