KEY SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS WITHIN COMMERCIAL RESTROOMS

The most basic safety considerations for commercial restrooms are those set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which requires employers to provide all workers with sanitary and immediately-available toilet facilities. The sanitation standard 1910.141 – Sanitation aims to ensure that workers do not suffer adverse health effects that can result if toilets are not clean or available when needed.

That means:

• Toilet facilities must be available at every worksite (except for mobile worksites).
• Employees must have reasonable access to a bathroom facility.
• The number of employees at the worksite determines the number of toilets.
• Each toilet must be in a separate compartment with a door.
• Hand-washing facilities must be provided and maintained in a sanitary condition.
• All restrooms are required to have running water, soap, and hand towels or air dryers.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Restroom Safety

Commercial and public restrooms impact a large portion of the population. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we're more aware of germs than ever. These are strategies some people take to avoid germs in restrooms:

• Operate the flusher with a foot.
• Use a seat liner.
• Hover over the toilet seat.
• Open or close doors with the body rather than the hands.

Building owners and managers have invested in significant retrofits to address pandemic safety concerns.

Reducing Touchpoints

One of the essential safety modifications in restrooms is reducing the number of critical touchpoints. Both restroom fixtures and doors can be a source of required touchpoints. According to the American Restroom Association (ARA): "Not everyone washes their hands after using the toilet. Those that do should not be required to touch potentially unclean surfaces after scrubbing their hands. Restroom doors should be designed so that after one has washed their hands, exit is possible without touching a surface."²

Also, each touchpoint requires frequent cleaning and disinfection, so removing touchpoints lowers overall maintenance needs. The good news is that solutions are available today to address this safety concern.The ARA notes, "Automated devices reduce the spread of disease and cost by controlling product usage." Touch-less and automated devices include:

• Door openers
• Toilet flusher
• Faucets
• Liquid soap dispensers
• Hand dryers
• Paper towel dispensers
• Toilet paper dispensers

Particularly on commodes, the ARA noted, "It is important that the sensor be installed so that it does not prematurely initiate the flush cycles. Wall sensors that detect movement away from the fixture may be less likely to falsely activate."

Hand Dryers or Paper Towels?

In every commercial restroom design, the choice arises between hand dryers or paper towels. According to the World Health Organization, both are efficient: "Once your hands are cleaned, you should dry them thoroughly using paper towels or a warm air dryer."³ A study by the University of Arizona Health Sciences found that "the breadth of available data does not favor one hand-drying method as more hygienic or safer than the other."^4,5 Instead, the specification of air dryers vs. paper towels and dispensers typically focuses on operating costs, maintenance costs, and sustainability.

Integrated Sink Systems Pull it All Together

As perhaps the gold standard for touchless fixtures, an integrated sink system provides touchless access to the faucet, soap, and hand dryer all in one unit. In addition to reducing the required touchpoints, these systems address other safety concerns by avoiding water on the ground and reducing the circulation path. This assembly impressed Andy Yee, Principal Managing Partner of Bean Restaurant Group, which operates more than a dozen restaurants. "It's a good blend into our industry," Yee says of the integrated sink system. "It's all touchless—soap, wash, dry. You eliminate the C-fold towels. There's no trash around the bathroom anymore."

Commercial Restrooms Before and After the Pandemic

Here's a glance at a typical before and after in a commercial restroom. Notice the differences between these two illustrations.

• Before the pandemic, the typical restroom had a standard sink with hot and cold-water handles, a soap dispenser next to the sink, and a paper towel dispenser either adjacent or across the room. To address COVID-19 safety concerns, the building operators upgraded the restroom to include an integrated sink system that offers touchless hand washing and drying without requiring users to walk back and forth across the restroom. There is no longer a trash receptacle filled with paper waste.
• Before the pandemic, restrooms had a door with a knob that required users to touch the doorknob to enter and exit the space. Automatic doors, or no-door designs, are now a more common solution to address COVID-19 safety concerns, removing a critical touchpoint.
• Before the pandemic, restrooms typically had manual-flush toilets, which many users used their feet to operate. These required frequent disinfecting. To address COVID-19 safety concerns, a sensor valve flushes the toilet without requiring physical contact, removing another critical touchpoint.