B.C. Building Trades Council says portable, chemical toilets unsanitary, undignified
Chad Pawson · CBC News · Posted: Oct 11, 2023 1:08 PM PDT | Last Updated: October 11
The union representing 40,000 construction workers in British Columbia wants the province to make flush toilets mandatory on construction sites, saying the current use of chemical toilets are “unsanitary and undignified.”
On Wednesday, B.C. Building Trades launched its Get Flushed campaign, which aims to change provincial rules to force construction companies to provide either toilets and hand-washing facilities connected to sewer systems, or portable units with running water, on job sites with 25 or more workers.
“Construction workers have been faced with unsanitary and undignified washroom conditions for too long,” said Brynn Bourke, executive director of the B.C. Building Trades Council in a release.
“We need the provincial government to step in and stand up for the people who build this province.”
A new report from the union says “portable chemical washrooms continue to be the default approach and the cleanliness of those washrooms has not been improved.”