@Wincher @UnimaginableWindBird @TheMuskratOfDestiny @SwimmingSnake
Apologies for picking out a few names that like the idea of fully enclosed universal toilets. Yes they sound lovely in theory but in practice they are dangerous especially to all of us when we are medically vulnerable and particularly to girls and women. They are fully enclosed and the doors open inwards.
It makes logical sense that more medical emergencies like heart attacks, strokes, seizures, and collapses happen in the toilet cubicle as that’s where we head to if we are feeling ill. When there is no way of knowing someone is having a medical emergency behind a full height door, vital time is wasted. The roll-out of defibrillators around the country is pointless if no one is aware the person in the has collapsed. And even if you realised, they have fallen against an inward opening door and the body is in the way, the lock needs a special key, and you need tools to dismantle the floor-to-ceiling cubicle partitions and door. The chances of survival could be reliant on a gap in the toilet door so someone can see you, and a way of getting over the door to rescue you. There are known medical reasons for a disproportionally high frequency of cardiac arrests and strokes while an individual is in the toilet.
In any space that becomes private, more offences are likely to take place. In Parliament it was discussed there was at least 1 rape inside a school premises each day (over 600 in a 3 year period). The data, collected by the BBC, mentions an example occurring in a private cupboard. This was in 2015, before many schools decided to change their toilet designs to fully enclosed and mixed sex. There is no available data on these new toilet designs but, teachers and pupils are reporting many problems with drug dealing, dirt and sex. The toilet door gaps are vital for safeguarding to help prevent activities that stop pupils, especially girls, going to the toilet. There are known problems of girls avoiding toilets and getting urinary infections or missing school.
A quick internet search brings up the disproportionate number of sexual assaults and rapes that happen to able bodied and disabled women and girls in disabled toilets in this country which are obviously mixed sex and fully enclosed toilets, often in very public places such as stations and shopping centres. Women/girls/boys have been pushed or followed in.
Other problems with toilets with enclosed full height doors are:
- Ventilation is decreased so there’s a higher risk of disease spread.
- Evacuation times are greatly increased as a responder can’t tell quickly if stalls are occupied.
- Hygiene is compromised as a mop can’t go underneath the doors nor floor be washed down. It is awkward to enter and wash down the cubicle with a mop and detritus ends up on the partition corners.
- Doors are more likely to get stuck/warped and the cubicle out of action.
- People are more likely to engage in illegal activities (drugs) or self harm if they are in a private space.
- The length of time in a cubicle is increased, especially if the wash basin is in there so queues are longer.
- Occupants can’t see if anyone is lying in wait outside their cubicle if they are feeling vulnerable.
The fully enclosed universal cubicle design should not be the recommendation for single sex toilets. Having fully enclosed toilets as standard would make it less safe for the many with common conditions such as asthma, epilepsy, diabetes (and the unknown like brain bleeds or cardiac problems) or those whose drinks had been spiked, all that carry a risk of collapse.
When you go to the loo you don’t think about all these scenarios but we need to prioritise overall safety for everyone.