I don't want to drink water from the basin in the toilets!

[Bekindtoyourknees]

AIBU to ask if anyone knows the rules/regs regarding access to drinking water at work?

My employers have renovated our building and we have had no access to drinking water for 12 months, apart from the ladies' WC basin which is apparently fed from the mains water supply. There is no evidence that they will ever build a kitchen.

I know that many people throughout the world have no access to clean water and I shouldn't feel entitled, but getting a drink of water from the toilet makes me feel blaargh

Check with Environmental Health. Depends who else is using the facilities and how hygienic everyone is surely. Don't care what most people are saying on here - I don't think its acceptable.

YANBU

Regardless of whether it's ick or not, as mentioned up thread under the HASAWA 1974 an employer has a duty to provide facilities for staff (regardless of how many). This includes drinking water, rest facilities, and a reasonable level of lighting/ventilation.

Bring your own container of water, two if needs be

I'm the least precious person about muck that is possible to be

And I wouldn't drink from a tap in a communal toilet

I would take my own water to work

Bernie I was just thinking that myself! Some people are so precious about ridiculous things.

One of the earlier posters said she thought the bathroom at work was probably cleaner than the kitchen - given the way some slovens leave workplace kitchens I can't help thinking she's probably right. In fact we have lovely kitchen facilities where I work but it was only fairly recently that hand soap dispensers were put in (at my request) - pretty disgusting that they weren't there before. And don't get me started on the idiots who are incapable of putting a teaspoon in the dishwasher and dump them in the sink instead.

OP if you are really bothered by this, just take a bottle of water in to work.

Blimey Gamer - I have visions of geyser-like toilet flushing. Is there something wrong with your loo? It's not like that in my house!

I would not want to drink from sink in toilets but realise there is people across the world with no access to water so I should be grateful..
I would refill a bottle from home and take that with me.

It's that stupid documentary I watched to see what would happen with a flushing toilet with the lid open being well used for 24 hours. Bloody burned itself on my brain sometimes ignorance really is bliss I wish I'd never watched it.

I suppose contamination on tap handles is the thing, rather than the water coming out so yes , kitchen tap is a very different thing to a loo tap.
Also, not many loo basins are big enough to allow a kettle to be filled.

How does the.....er......contamination.... get into the water? Let it run for a bit. No poo. Sorted.

I'm reluctant to refill my water bottles at work. Our break and lunch time are too short to allow practical access to the staff room, and I just don't want to fill up at the pupil toilets. I'm not normally squeamish, but I don't trust the hygiene of the taps/ sinks. Staff only areas, I'd be less bothered about.

something to think about

I'm sure they do have to provide drinking water as I worked in a school where the water stopped working for some reason and that was one of the reasons they sent us home. I think the question is whether the supply you have is unsuitable.

People who obsess about poo vapour nevertheless don't seem to be sufficiently bothered about it to have a complete change of clothes every time they have a shit. Yet if you worry about the possibility of it getting onto reading matter or indeed the basin taps, surely logically you should worry much more about what is on your clothes.

My motto - don't worry about it, apart from basic hygiene like proper handwashing. My family and I seem to have survived just fine on that basis.

You are my kind of person, Nennypops

Of course there might be Employment Law/Health and Safety regulations for this kind of thing, and they should be followed.
On a purely practical level, if I was bothered I'd bring my own bottled water.

Handwashing, soap, warm running water, several times a day (after toilet, before food) is all that's needed to remain 'safe'.
You all do know that those stoopid antibac hand gels to NOT kill Noro/Winter Vomiting Virus, yes? Handwashing is the only thing that gets rid of them off your hands. Or maybe the explosion of an atomic bomb. I know what I prefer.

Even hospital-grade antibacterial gel has limited effect, the little handbag ones from the supermarket are completely ineffectual. Plus you can taste the gel when you eat your packed lunch with your fingers.