GOING to the toilet is our body’s way of getting rid of its waste. It is part of our natural biological make-up.
 
For most workers in Britain, this means that they have time to go to the toilet and can access safe, clean and dignified facilities whenever they need to.
 
But imagine being in a position where this is not the case, where time for a toilet break is not built into your working day and where there are no facilities to use when you need them.
 
Imagine having to deliberately dehydrate yourself, avoid taking prescribed medication or having to wear incontinence pads each day at work. And imagine the indignity of having to urinate in a drinks bottle or coffee cup, defecate on a newspaper or change your sanitary towel where you risk being seen by a member of the public, all during the course of your working day. This is the reality for far too many train drivers across Britain.
 
Tuesday November 19 was World Toilet Day; to coincide with this, the train drivers’ union Aslef launched its Dignity for Drivers’ report.
 
The issue of train drivers not having access to safe, clean, dignified toilet facilities and the time to use them when required during their shift is a very serious problem across the rail network.
 
In a survey of over 3,100 train drivers, 68.52 per cent said their employer does not provide safe, clean, accessible toilets that they can easily use throughout their working day; 85.56 per cent stated that their employer does not build in regular time for toilet breaks into their working day; 79.6 per cent of drivers said they are expected to work over 4 hours before they get a suitable break away from the train to use toilet facilities.
 
Train drivers are proud of the job they do. Their work on the rail network is vital to the successful development of our economy and society. They are fundamentally important to the safe and efficient transportation of people and goods across the country.
 
However, not having frequent time to access toilet facilities is detrimental to their health and wellbeing.
 
While these issues affect all drivers, for those with disabilities, the inability to access toilet facilities when required causes added anxiety, mental and physical stress. For drivers who menstruate or those who are pregnant or menopausal, there are added health concerns.
 
To address these issues, Aslef is calling for immediate action:
 

• A maximum period of four hours’ driving without access to toilet facilities as standard across the industry
• The provision of safe, clean, accessible and dignified toilet and welfare facilities across the network
• Drivers to be able to go to the toilet based on their individual and personal needs without being subjected to management interference, discrimination or disciplinary action
• All operators to provide free sanitary products in the workplace and for them to be available across the network for drivers who want to use them

These calls come from drivers themselves — below are just a few of the hundreds of alarming comments we received during the course of the research:

“It’s a disgusting state of affairs when we need to relieve ourselves al fresco when on or about the line. Degrading does not begin to describe the situation.”
 
“I use double the amount of sanitary protection and sit on a newspaper on the seat in case of leaks as the time between being able to get to a toilet is so long. This is a regular occurrence for women.”
 
“I have panic attacks at the thought of not being able to get to a toilet. It affects my mental health greatly.”
 
These conditions are not new, but in 2024, it cannot be too much to expect workers in this vital sector to be able to carry out their jobs with dignity, safe in the knowledge that when nature calls, they have time to access a safe, clean toilet. It is now up to the train and freight operating companies, Britain and devolved governments, the rail regulator and stakeholders to act.