A Practical Guide for Australian Small and Medium Businesses 

Providing a safe workplace is not only about machinery, procedures and PPE. Employers also need to make sure workers have access to suitable workplace facilities and that the physical work environment allows people to work safely.

For a small or medium business, this does not necessarily mean expensive upgrades or elaborate staff facilities. It means looking at your workplace, the work being performed and the needs of your workers and making sure the workplace facilities provided are suitable, accessible, clean and properly maintained.

The Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice provides practical guidance on what businesses should consider when providing suitable workplace facilities.

This includes:

• toilets
• drinking water
• handwashing facilities
• eating and break facilities
• change facilities
• personal storage
• workspace
• lighting
• ventilation
• safe access and movement around the workplace.

For NSW businesses, this is particularly important. SafeWork NSW states that, from 1 July 2026, Codes of Practice became minimum performance standards that a PCBU is expected to comply with.

So, what should you be checking?

1. Toilets 

Workers must have access to clean toilets while they are at work.

For most permanent workplaces, toilets should be located within the building or as close as reasonably practicable to the work area. They need to be safe, accessible, appropriately ventilated, provide privacy and be kept clean.

Businesses should consider:

• how many workers use the facilities
• the makeup and needs of the workforce
• accessibility for workers with disability
• privacy
• lighting and ventilation
• handwashing facilities
• toilet paper and waste bins
• appropriate sanitary disposal facilities
• cleaning and maintenance arrangements.

Mobile, temporary and remote workers also need access to toilets.

For example, a technician travelling between customer sites may not need a toilet installed in their vehicle, but the business should have considered how and where that worker can reasonably access suitable facilities during the working day.

Practical check: Don’t simply ask, “Do we have a toilet?”

Ask:

“Can every worker reasonably access a clean, safe and suitable toilet when they need one?”

2. Drinking Water 

Workers must have access to clean drinking water, free of charge.

Drinking water should be readily accessible and supplied hygienically.

Particular attention may be required where workers:

• perform physically demanding work
• work outdoors
• work in hot environments
• work remotely
• travel between locations
• cannot easily leave their work area.

For example, workers performing physical work in a warehouse during summer may need drinking water much closer to their work area than office workers working beside a staff kitchen.

The Code indicates drinking water should preferably be cool, with a recommended temperature of 24°C or below.

Practical check: Walk through your workplace and consider how easy it actually is for workers to obtain drinking water during their normal work.

3. Handwashing Facilities 

Suitable handwashing facilities must be available so workers can maintain good personal hygiene.

This becomes particularly important where workers handle:

• chemicals
• oils and grease
• waste
• food
• infectious substances
• contaminated equipment or materials.

Handwashing facilities should generally be conveniently located near toilets and eating areas and, depending on the work, may also be needed close to particular work areas.

Facilities should include appropriate water, soap and hygienic hand-drying arrangements.

Where permanent handwashing facilities cannot reasonably be provided, such as some mobile or remote workplaces, alternative hygiene arrangements may be required.

Example: A mobile maintenance worker handling greasy equipment may require access to portable handwashing or appropriate hygiene facilities rather than relying solely on finding a public bathroom.

4. Eating and Break Facilities 

Workers need access to hygienic facilities for eating and for preparing and storing food.

What is required will depend upon the workplace.

A small office might have a kitchen bench, refrigerator, microwave, table and chairs.

A workshop may need a dedicated meal area separated from dust, chemicals, noise or other contaminants.

The Code recommends a separate eating area where:

• 10 or more workers usually eat at the workplace at the same time, or
• workplace substances or processes could contaminate food.

Eating areas should not expose workers to workplace contaminants simply because that is the only place available to take a break.

Example: Workers should not routinely eat lunch at a workshop bench beside chemicals, tools, dust and machinery because there is nowhere else provided.

These are all important considerations when reviewing your workplace facilities, particularly as a business grows or work activities change.

5. Change Facilities 

Not every workplace requires a dedicated change room.

The question is whether the nature of the work creates a need for workers to change clothing at work.

This may apply where workers need to:

• wear uniforms
• change into PPE
• remove contaminated clothing
• perform dirty or dusty work
• work in hot environments
• change before leaving the workplace for hygiene reasons.

Where change facilities are required, they should provide sufficient privacy, space and appropriate storage.

For a small business, the solution may be relatively simple. The important issue is identifying whether workers need somewhere suitable to change rather than assuming they can use a toilet cubicle or storeroom.

6. Personal Storage 

Workers may need secure storage for personal belongings such as:

• bags
• clothing
• phones
• jewellery
• medication
• personal hygiene items.

Personal storage should also be separated from contaminated clothing or PPE where there is a risk of contamination.

Depending upon the workplace, this could be lockers, lockable cupboards or another secure storage area.

Temporary and mobile workplaces may require a different solution, such as secure lockable containers.

Practical check: Look around the workplace.

If handbags, backpacks, motorcycle helmets and clothing are regularly sitting on floors, desks, machinery or walkways, you may have both a storage problem and a housekeeping problem.

The Workplace Itself Also Matters

Workplace facilities are only part of the requirement.

Businesses also need to consider whether the physical workplace provides suitable conditions for workers to perform their jobs safely.

7. Workspace 

Workers need sufficient space to perform their work safely.

Consider:

• movement around workstations
• access to equipment
• storage
• manual handling
• interaction with other workers
• moving vehicles and plant
• emergency evacuation.

A workplace can gradually become overcrowded as a business grows.

An office designed for six people may now accommodate ten. A workshop may accumulate additional equipment, stock and storage racks.

These gradual changes can create hazards without anyone recognising that the original workplace layout is no longer suitable.

When reviewing workplace facilities, consider not only what facilities exist but whether the space around them remains suitable for the number of people using the workplace.

8. Lighting 

Workers need sufficient lighting to move around and perform their work safely.

The amount and type of lighting required will depend upon the task.

A general office may have relatively straightforward requirements, while inspection work, detailed manufacturing, loading areas, stairs or pedestrian crossings may require additional lighting.

Poor lighting can contribute to:

• slips and trips
• incorrect operation of equipment
• eye strain
• awkward working postures
• difficulty identifying hazards.

Also consider areas workers use outside normal operating hours, such as car parks, loading areas and entrances.

Good lighting is therefore an important part of creating suitable workplace facilities and maintaining a safe work environment.

9. Ventilation and Air Quality 

Enclosed workplaces need appropriate ventilation.

This may be provided through:

• windows and doors
• mechanical ventilation
• fans
• air-conditioning
• local exhaust ventilation.

Ventilation needs to be suitable for the work being performed.

Opening a window may be adequate in one workplace but completely inappropriate where welding fumes, dust, chemicals or other airborne contaminants are generated.

Businesses should also respond to signs that something may be wrong.

Repeated complaints about stuffiness, smells, excessive heat, dust or fumes should not simply be accepted as part of the job.

10. Safe Access and Movement 

Workers need to be able to safely enter, leave and move around the workplace.

SafeWork NSW guidance highlights issues including:

• entries and exits
• walkways
• floors
• stairs
• doors and gates
• storage
• moving vehicles and plant.

Look particularly for:

• blocked exits
• extension leads across walkways
• stock stored in accessways
• slippery surfaces
• damaged flooring
• poorly lit stairs
• pedestrians mixing with forklifts or vehicles
• emergency exits being used for storage.

These issues can develop slowly, which is why regular workplace inspections are important.

Safe access and movement should form part of every review of workplace facilities and the broader work environment.

What About Small Workplaces? 

A common misconception is that workplace facility requirements only apply to factories, construction sites and large businesses.

They don’t.

The facilities need to be appropriate to the nature of the work, the workplace and the workers.

A five-person professional office will have very different requirements from a five-person fabrication workshop.

Similarly, a business employing technicians who spend most of their day travelling between customers requires different arrangements from a business where everyone works at one fixed location.

The objective is not to provide every possible facility.

The objective is to identify what your workers reasonably require to work safely and maintain their health, welfare and hygiene.

This is why there is no single checklist that will perfectly suit every business. Your workplace facilities need to reflect the actual risks, activities and needs of your workers.

A Simple 10-Minute Facilities Check 

Business owners and managers can start with a simple walk around the workplace.

Ask:

1. Are our toilets clean, accessible and suitable?
2. Can everyone easily access clean drinking water?
3. Are suitable handwashing facilities available?
4. Is there a clean and hygienic place for workers to eat and take breaks?
5. Do any workers require change facilities?
6. Do workers have suitable storage for personal belongings?
7. Is there enough space to perform work safely?
8. Is lighting adequate throughout the workplace?
9. Is ventilation suitable for the work being performed?
10. Can workers safely enter, exit and move around the workplace?

Any “No”, “Sometimes” or “I’m not sure” answer deserves a closer look.

This simple review can help identify gaps in your workplace facilities before they become bigger workplace safety issues.

Don’t Forget to Ask Your Workers 

One of the simplest ways to identify problems is to ask the people using the facilities.

Questions might include:

“Are there any problems with our workplace facilities or work environment that make it difficult or uncomfortable for you to work safely?”

You may discover issues management has not noticed – a toilet that regularly runs out of supplies, poor lighting in a loading area, an air-conditioning problem, nowhere secure to leave personal belongings or a lunch area that becomes unusable during busy periods.

Consultation should therefore form part of your workplace facilities review.

Workers often notice practical problems that aren’t obvious during a management inspection.

Facilities Are Not a “Set and Forget” Requirement 

A workplace may have been completely suitable five years ago but no longer meet the needs of the business.

Things change.

You may have:

• employed more workers
• purchased additional equipment
• introduced new chemicals
• changed work processes
• increased stock levels
• changed operating hours
• employed workers with different needs
• introduced mobile or remote work.

This is why workplace inspections, worker consultation and periodic reviews are important.

The question isn’t simply:

“Did we provide the right facilities when we opened?”

It is:

“Are the facilities we provide suitable for the way we operate today?”

Regularly reviewing your workplace facilities helps ensure that changes to your business don’t create new gaps in your work environment.

How CHD Partners Can Help 

For many SME owners, the challenge isn’t wanting to provide a safe workplace. It is knowing what needs to be checked, what needs to be documented and how often it should be reviewed.

CHD Partners assists small and medium businesses to turn WHS requirements into practical systems that can actually be implemented.

This can include:

• workplace inspections
• WHS compliance reviews
• workplace facilities assessments
• policies and safe work procedures
• risk assessments
• worker consultation processes
• corrective action tracking
• ongoing WHS compliance support.

Our approach is simple: identify what applies to your business, put practical controls in place and maintain evidence that the checks are being completed.

If you’re unsure about your workplace requirements or need help reviewing your current systems, contact CHD Partners to discuss your needs.

How Does Your Workplace Measure Up? 

Take a few minutes to walk through your workplace and consider the following:

• Are your workplace facilities clean, accessible, and suitable for your workers?
• Do workers have easy access to clean drinking water?
• Are toilets and handwashing facilities adequately maintained?
• Is there a suitable place for workers to eat and take breaks?
• Do workers have appropriate change facilities where required?
• Is there adequate personal storage?
• Is there enough workspace for workers to perform their tasks safely?
• Is lighting adequate for the work being performed?
• Is ventilation appropriate for the workplace and the activities being carried out?
• Can workers move safely throughout the workplace?

If you identify areas that need attention, don’t wait for a complaint or incident before taking action.

Reviewing your workplace facilities regularly can help you identify issues early and make practical improvements that support worker health, safety, and wellbeing.

Your workplace facilities are an important part of your overall WHS system. Taking the time to assess them can help ensure your workplace continues to meet the needs of your workers as your business changes and grows.

Take the Facilities Scorecard → Here

Final Thoughts

Providing suitable workplace facilities is an important part of creating a safe, healthy, and productive working environment. From toilets and drinking water to lighting, ventilation, storage, and safe access, these everyday facilities can have a significant impact on the health, safety, and wellbeing of your workers.

The right workplace facilities will depend on the nature of your business, the work being performed, the number of workers, and the risks present in your workplace. Regularly reviewing your facilities and consulting with workers can help you identify gaps and make practical improvements.

Don’t wait until a worker raises a concern or an incident highlights a problem. Take the time to review your workplace facilities now and make sure they continue to meet the needs of your workers and your business.

References 

Safe Work Australia — Model Code of Practice: Managing the Work Environment and Facilities, updated December 2025.

SafeWork NSW — Facilities at Work guidance.

SafeWork NSW — Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice.

SafeWork NSW — Codes of Practice, including information concerning the operation of section 26A of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (NSW) from 1 July 2026. 

This article provides general information and should not be relied upon as legal advice. Workplace requirements should be assessed having regard to the particular workplace, workers, work activities and applicable WHS legislation. 

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