09.08.2023

SPECIAL CARE FOR WOMEN IN THE WORKPLACE

Workplace living issues are among the most frequently cited when workers are asked what they think their employer could do to improve the working environment.

Let's not forget that for all such conditions, the law lays down very specific requirements that must be met by employers. It is their duty to ensure this environment, and if they have not complied with statutory provisions governing working conditions, they will accordingly suffer both administrative and financial sanctions, in the event that a control body finds such violations.

When talking about working conditions, it mainly refers to ensuring the health and safety of workers. The perimeter of the scope of these conditions is extremely wide - from the hygiene of the workplace, to the level of lighting and noise, even the height of the chair, the desk, the desktop and the brightness level of the monitor, if we work with a computer or other type of video displays.

Among the requirements regarding the working environment, which affect all workers, there are special provisions that only affect women.

Practice shows that these regulations are often not followed and workers are rarely informed that they exist at all. It is a question of specially arranged premises intended for hygiene and personal care of women, as well as premises intended for resting of female and male employees. What are the requirements for these premises and in which cases should they be provided?

Rooms for women's personal hygiene and rest rooms for pregnant women shall be opened and furnished in enterprises in which 20 or more women work.

The women's personal hygiene room consists of:

1. A reception room in which there is a dressing room with an area of not less than 6 square meters, a sink, a hair dryer or napkins for individual use, chairs, a mirror, a hanger, a cabinet with lignin and sanitary napkins, etc.;
2. Procedural with individual cabins: 1 cabin for the number of women in the enterprise up to 300 per shift, and over 300 - 1 cabin plus for 200 women. Each cabin must have an area of not less than 3.0 square meters and be equipped with a hygienic hand shower;
3. Toilet. The floor and walls of the cabins must be lined with terracotta or faience tiles. In each cabin, at a height of 10 cm, two cement steps are placed and covered with plates with a distance of 40 cm between them. A floor siphon is placed in the middle between the rear end of the steps. The floor should be slightly inclined towards the opening of the siphon for the water to drain.

Each cubicle and toilet must be equipped with a pedal-operated waste bin. The cabins must have running hot and cold water that complies with BDS 2823-67.

The rest room for pregnant women has an area of not less than 8 square meters and is equipped with:

1. hard couch covered with smooth tarpaulin (one in 5 pregnant women);
2. a cabinet with sheets for individual use by each pregnant woman;
3. a table or bedside table;
4. hot and cold water fountain;
5. at least 2 chairs;
6. water glasses.

Women's personal hygiene rooms and pregnant women's rest rooms should be next to each other. They are found in premises that are not exposed to industrial hazards and pollution.

In the rooms for women's personal hygiene and in the rest rooms for pregnant women, heating and lighting are provided in accordance with hygiene standards.

The head of the enterprise organizes the furnishing, completion and opening of the rooms for women's personal hygiene and the rest rooms for pregnant women and ensures their regular supply with the necessary materials determined by the health worker serving women and the trade union committee.

The health and trade union bodies of the enterprise exercise control over the opening, furnishing, maintenance and use of the rooms for women's personal hygiene and the rest rooms for pregnant women.

Smoking and the use of alcohol are prohibited in the rooms for women's personal hygiene and in the rest rooms for pregnant women, as well as their use for other purposes.

Reference:

Ordinance No. 11 of March 2, 1987 on the rooms for women's personal hygiene and for the rest of pregnant women