Accommodating Social Distancing

Another critical safety concern raised by the COVID-19 pandemic is the ability of a restroom to accommodate social distancing and avoid clusters of people gathering. Several strategies exist to address this, including the integrated sink system. Another approach is modifying the restroom layout with separate entrance and exit doors, which reduces close interaction through an efficient circulation path that gets people in and out.

Prioritizing Ventilation and Filtration

COVID-19 also increased focus on ventilation and filtration as safety considerations. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): "When indoors, ventilation mitigation strategies can help reduce viral particle concentration. The lower the concentration, the less likely viral particles can be inhaled into the lungs (potentially lowering the inhaled dose); contact eyes, nose, and mouth; or fall out of the air to accumulate on surfaces.

Protective ventilation practices and interventions can reduce the airborne concentrations and the overall viral dose to occupants."⁶ Exhaust fans should be functional and operate at full capacity when the building is occupied.

A higher standard is reached via hand dryers with built-in HEPA filtration. These dryers remove 99.999 percent of viruses from the airstream, blowing clean, warm air onto hands to dry them quickly and efficiently. This value is based on testing performed by LMS Technologies in 2023.⁷

The WELL Health-Safety Rating for Building Operation

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) convened more than 600 experts to form the Task Force on COVID-19. Expanding on strategies from the WELL Building Standard, IWBI launched the WELL Health-Safety Rating for Facility Operations and Management in 2020. This rating helps building operators and organizations address occupants' health, safety, and well-being in their spaces. The rating also indicates to everyone entering a space that evidence-based measures have been adopted and third-party verified.

The WELL Health-Safety Rating is for operating buildings and spaces (not their initial design and construction). The rating includes more than 20 strategies (referred to as "features") across the following categories (referred to as "concepts"):

• Cleaning and Sanitization Procedures
• Emergency Preparedness Programs
• Health Service Resources
• Air and Water Quality Management
• Stakeholder Engagement/Communication

No single strategy is required. Instead, projects must meet a minimum of 15 total (spread across categories as they see fit).

Photo courtesy of Excel Dryer

Kits are made for retrofitting existing paper towel dispensers and trash receptacles with ADA-compliant hand dryers.

High-Speed, Energy-Efficient Hand Dryers Support Features in the WELL Health-Safety Rating

Certain high-speed, energy-efficient (HSEE) hand dryers can contribute to third-party certifications like the WELL Health-Safety Rating.

Here are the relevant features:

• Support Hand-washing: This feature requires spaces to improve hygiene by offering soap containers and hand-drying support. It specifies acceptable methods for hand drying, including hand dryers equipped with a HEPA filter.
• Reduce Surface Contact:This feature requires spaces to assess high-touch surfaces throughout the project and implement temporary and/or permanent strategies to reduce the frequency or need for hand touch. As previously discussed, integrated sink systems with high-speed, energy-efficient hand dryers can reduce the required touchpoints in a restroom.
• Improve cleaning practices: This feature requires designers of spaces to develop cleaning and disinfection plans, including instructions, training, and recordkeeping. HSEE hand dryers may contribute to this feature by reducing the number of touchpoints that need to be disinfected, freeing up custodial time by reducing custodial tasks such as replacing paper towels and removing paper towel waste.

ADA Considerations

ADA compliance is a hot topic today, but creating physical locations designed to provide an equivalent experience to every user regardless of physical limitations is not a new concept. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was created in the 1990s to prevent discrimination and ensure all Americans could easily access public spaces. The ADA significantly impacted architects, causing them to adapt their designs to meet rigorous criteria.

Public restroom guidance includes:

• Ample space so that a single wheelchair can rotate 180 degrees.
• 60-inch width minimum toilet space, with the seat falling between 17 to 19 inches from the toilet base.
• Smooth, easy-to-hold grab bars installed along bathroom walls, especially near toilets.
• Sinks or countertops no more than 34 inches high, with space beneath for acceptable knee clearance.
• Faucets must be workable with only one hand.
• Hand dryers should be motion-activated and shouldn't extend more than 4 inches from the wall.

Selecting a hand dryer is often the final piece of the puzzle, and finding a model that fits the ADA criteria and is well-designed can be challenging.

FAQ—ADA-Compliant Hand Dryers
Q: What makes a hand dryer ADA-compliant?
A: For a hand dryer to be ADA-compliant, the appliance must be motion-activated and not protrude more than 4 inches from the wall.
Q: What is the ADA height for a hand dryer?
A: To be ADA compliant, all buttons and touch-free sensors on the hand dryer must fall between a height of 38 inches to 48 inches off the floor.

SUSTAINABILITY CONSIDERATIONS WITHIN COMMERCIAL RESTROOMS

This section discusses water use, energy use, materials use, indoor air quality, and operations of commercial restrooms. Water

Creating water-saving restrooms addresses both environmental issues and cost savings. Water is likely the first thing that comes to mind when considering commercial restroom sustainability because it has a significant impact. The EPA states that "commercial and institutional buildings can account for 17 percent of the municipal water demand in the United States."⁸

Strategies to reduce water use include:

• Replacing or retrofitting toilets (with high-efficiency or dual-flush models)
• Replacing or retrofitting urinals (with waterless models)
• Replacing or retrofitting faucets (with high-efficiency aerators or sensor-based)
• Using alternate sources of water (such as graywater for flushing), and
• Tracking water use and leaks