Female toilets - disgusting portaloo - wwyd?

[Ladiesssss]

Is this a basic human right and I should face no judgement or am I being a Princess?

I work in a male dominated industry. I usually work in an office but due to a series of meetings on Friday I am out of office from 9am until around 3pm. There are no female toilet facilities, just a truly disguising portaloo that they use. I've done a search for the local area and there are no public loos nearby open. My office is a good hour's drive there and back and due to the meetings this is not going to be possible.

What am I going to do? I'm peri-menopausal and can hold off for about 3hours at most. I just cannot use the portaloo it is utterly disgusting.

I think I'd rather lick the toilet seat than go to Glasto!

Can you ask at the hotel? They may let you use the loos.

Do you get a lunch break? I'd go for a coffee in the posh hotel.

Presumably the posh hotel sell drinks and/or coffees. I'd go there, buy a coffee and use their loo.

I'm thinking of asking the hotel, but it is super posh and not sure they'd be overly impressed with a hi-vis clad construction worker using their perfumed loos. I might give them a call.

Could you not use the hotel? Bring a long coat to wear over the high vis shirt and bring a pair of slip on shoes or something. You could always have a coffee or a cup of tea. Or just go to the reception desk and ask for a brochure of their spa/christmas party menu etc.

I would confidently walk into the hotel and use their toilets.

If you do decide to do a clean up first May I recommend adding gloves - like surgical ones as they are small and give you a barrier. Having use portaloos at events I sympathise.

I'd take my boots/ hi vis off in the car, pop a long nice coat on over my clothes and put non steel boots on and swan into the hotel to ask about party brochures and use their loos. Though tbh as long as you aren't filthy, most hotels pay no attention to people in and out of the lobby

I used to be a cleaner in a primary school. The boys toilets were like armageddon at the end of the day. They also used to block the plug holes with toilet paper so that the sinks overflowed. Can't say I miss it.🤔

Who is responsible for cleaning the toilet? Complain to them if not fit for use hygienically

Potentially if its a site portaloo I assume there is lots of mud and general dirt. Which is grim but you aren't going to die

As for using a bush, no I don't think so with 15 tradesmen hanging around.

I wouldn't use a bush to clean it either! 😂

I've been to glasto, that level of dodgy portaloos don't bother me.

But I can absolutely imagine the state of this one. I joined an office once where it was all male staff with one loo. There was shit everywhere. Like, anatomically impossible, everywhere.

I used to walk 10 mins to the council car park to use the toilet - that's how bad it was.

I wouldn't be cleaning it, for a start, suddenly you're now the toilet cleaner.

Is the emptying contract supposed to involve cleaning and restocking paper? that would be my first question. They usually pressure wash the insides to clean them. Does your boss know the actual condition of the portaloo, have they seen it?

If there's no cleaning contract / person responsible for it, and if there's no option for a coffee in the hotel, shewee in the portaloo, or shewee in a random hedge of its really so vile that you can't bear to set foot in it.

Take photos and send them to the company's H&S people and HR.

Could you change into smarter clothes (as a one off, to give a good impression) and visit the hotel and ask for a chat with the manager? Explain that you'd only need to use it once a week for approximately x weeks, tell them you normally wear working clothes but won't leave a mess (you could get some of those polythene "bootie" things).

No help to you OP but when I had to be on site regularly, I didn't use the toilets at all. I also didn't drink.

Unless you've been on a construction site, you have no idea of the state of the toilets, on one I had to hold my breath & nose as I walked past it, even the blokes I was working with wouldn't use it. It's not just dirt, it's shit - everywhere.

Even when you go to a site that's having a survey done for refurbishment, you'll find coke bottles in the ceilings half full of piss.

I also work in construction and the men's toilets can be absolutely shocking, I pity our poor cleaner having to clean up shit from the floors, walls, seats. I cannot imagine the state a portaloo would be in, I certainly wouldn't be opening it to find out.

Luckily I have my own toilet (only woman on site) and a very closely guarded set of keys!

The only thing that makes festival loos ok is the knowledge that it's only for a few days!
If all else fails, bribe the hotel manager lol

This. It sounds like a health hazard. It is being totally unreasonable expecti.g you to use it. Take a few photos and send to HR.

I'm baffled. I wore normal clothes on construction site with jacket, boot, hi Vis and helmet when visiting. Carried normal footwear and coat in my car. I would hope @Ladiesssss can at least remove safety gear, change and visit the hotel.

It's an absolute disgrace that there aren't female toilets on all building sites now. I work in the industry (civil engineering) for a tier 1 contractor and all of our sites have them in at least one location on the compound, all kitted out with sanitary products, body sprays etc. I genuinely thought that would be the norm now!

I would report to the company's EDI lead that they're failing to be inclusive to women.

It's the norm in our company minus the body sprays, but we do provide sanitary products, air fresheners and toilet seat covers/wipes. Also a tier 1 contractor

Thanks so much. The HR posts make me laugh, it's a typical MN response. There is no HR and even if there was it's not a HR problem (I know this being a HR manager in a previous life).

@justasking111 No need for bafflement - I can remove boots, hi-vis, hard hat, etc and yes I have normal footwear in my vehicle. My question was more that the hotel staff wouldn't be overly impressed with me asking to use their facilities rather than the clobber I was wearing.

It is a small building contractor, he barely supplies toilets for the men and certainly no hot running water. It's a HSE nightmare waiting to happen.

With regards to festivals, etc. That's a choice to go and expect the kind of hygiene whilst having massive amounts of fun. This is a workplace, zero fun and no desire to wade through workmen's urine and other.

I get you totally.
Following on from my other post earlier, get yourself that VI Poo spray stuff. Life saver in horrific toilets alongside the toilet seat covers and bleach. I even had my own loo roll that I took in and out with me (and bloody hand sanitiser galore).
In one of my previous jobs I had the luck (!) of having an actual women's toilet for the three of us women who worked there (next to 250 men). Their toilet block was absolutely foul whereas we kept ours nice and clean and fresh smelling. We had men sneak in there to shit in nice conditions and ended up having to lock the door with a key! I don't know why people are so fucking disgusting -I understand conditions such as IBS but at least use the products provided to clear up after yourself if you shit ON THE FLOOR AND SEAT!
No amount of signage has made a difference in any job I've worked on. You can't shut down or police toilet use.

I would just check if the hotel serves coffee/tea to non residents then order & use the toilets (maybe don't drink the tea/coffee though I suppose!)

I have a friend who would just put her lipstick on & waft in & out waving cheerfully to the staff...

Otherwise there must be a fuel station somewhere nearby.

What a ridiculous problem to have to solve, I would be furious!

Exactly!

I also loathe unisex toilets in any environment.
I do think I have a thing about toilets, only use public ones if I absolutely have to, but these site ones are another level.