B.C. construction workers say they’re tired of often filthy porta-potties being their only bathroom option on the job.
The BC Building Trades Council, which represents more than 40,000 unionized workers, announced Thursday (Oct. 12) it is demanding flushing toilets be required on work sites with 25 people or more.
“Enough is enough. Nearly every other industry from film to events and tourism has found a way to bring clean, flushing toilet facilities to mobile sites. Construction workers deserve flush toilets now,” said Brynn Bourke, executive director of the council, in a statement.
The council has been calling for improved sanitary conditions since 2021, when it released a report detailing just how gross things can get on construction sites. Now, it has launched its Get Flushed campaign, urging the B.C. government to take action.
“Construction workers have been faced with unsanitary and undignified washroom conditions for too long. We need the provincial government to step in and stand up for the people who build this province,” Bourke said.
Several tradespeople who spoke up about conditions for the campaign said there are times when they won’t go to the washroom all day because the portable toilets available are so unsanitary.
One insulator, Lindsay Sangster, said she has found maggots inside the on-site toilets before. An ironworker name Peter White described having to use porta-potties as “degrading” and “dehumanizing.”
“Porta-potties make you feel like a second-class citizen. Office workers wouldn’t accept these kinds of conditions,” electrician Matt Baron said.
While the BC Building Trades Council represents about 40,000 construction workers, there are more than 200,000 in total in B.C. The council says most of them don’t have access to flushing toilets or running water at their work sites.
Quebec, meanwhile, has required flushing toilets on construction sites since 2015. Bourke said the B.C. government needs to do the same, as construction companies appear unwilling to improve conditions on their own.
Labour Minister Harry Bains said his ministry is engaging with WorkSafeBC and the construction industry to figure out possible solutions.
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