Site Welfare Calculator

Under CDM 2015 Schedule 2, a minimum of 1 toilet per 7 workers is required on construction sites. Toilets must be adequately ventilated and lit, with a suitable locking door for privacy. Chemical toilets are acceptable where mains drainage is not available. Toilets must be cleaned regularly and waste disposed of properly.

CDM 2015 Schedule 2 requires: toilets (1:7 workers), washing facilities with hot and cold water, drinking water, changing facilities, rest area with seating and means of heating food, drying room for wet clothing, and first aid facilities. All must be easily accessible, adequately ventilated and lit, and maintained in a clean condition.

The rest area should provide approximately 1m² per person plus circulation space. For 20 workers, aim for at least 25-30m². The rest area must have seating with backs, a means of boiling water (kettle), a microwave or other means of heating food, and be heated in cold weather. It should be separate from work areas.

CDM 2015 requires facilities for drying wet clothing. In practice, this means a heated, ventilated drying room with hooks or racks for wet outer clothing and PPE. Allow approximately 0.5m² per worker. A portable heater and clothes rail in a dedicated space meets the minimum requirement for smaller sites.

HSE sets first-aid provision by worker numbers and hazard level. For high-risk construction work (the calculator's default): fewer than 5 workers need at least 1 appointed person; 5 to 50 workers need at least 1 trained first aider; more than 50 need 1 First Aid at Work (FAW) first aider for every 50 (or part of 50). For low-risk workplaces such as shops and offices the INDG214 bands are more generous: fewer than 25 workers need an appointed person; 25 to 50 need at least 1 Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) first aider; more than 50 need 1 FAW first aider for every 100. So risk level changes both the training required and the headcount ratio. These numbers are HSE suggestions, so confirm them against a first-aid needs assessment for your site.

BS 8599-1:2019 sets the kit size (Small, Medium or Large) by the number of workers and the risk level, not by a fixed number of kits. For high-risk work such as construction: Small kit for 1-5 workers, Medium for 5-25, and Large for 25-100 (add a further kit for each additional 100 workers). Kits must be restocked as items are used. The number and placement of kits should follow your first-aid needs assessment so cover reaches every part of the site.