Case study: Perth station staff toilets fixed
28 March 2023
Report leads to the discovery of other building issues.
Perth Station
Reporter's concern
- The men’s toilets in the Network Rail office building of Perth station had been out of use since summer 2021 because of an unstable floor. Staff had raised the issue internally.
- Male staff were told to use the disabled toilet. This was not practical because of how many staff were using this single toilet and how infrequently it was cleaned – once a day in the morning.
- Staff therefore didn’t feel comfortable using welfare facilities at work, posing a health risk.
They asked Network Rail to arrange for more frequent cleaning of the disabled toilet, repair the men’s toilets and communicate timescales to staff.
Network Rail's response
- Staff raised concerns in September 2021 about the floor moving. Network Rail Property instructed contractor CPMS to make the area safe and fix where the water was coming in.
- The water leaks came from the gents’ urinals, which contractor Mitie repaired, and from the roof.
- A meeting in October determined responsibilities. Network Rail’s Property team would fix external/roof issues and we (the Workplace Management team) would fix internal defects from water damage. We also instructed Mitie to carry out a detailed survey on the floor.
- This survey showed several defects with the roof, the floor, and woodworm infestation.
- In April 2022, the Property team and contractor CPMS advised they had repaired the issue causing the roof leak. They surveyed the roof with a drone and have repaired the toilet roof.
- There have been no further reports of water damage since the repairs. We advised Mitie to monitor the toilets for further water leaks.
- All areas affected by woodworm have been treated or replaced.
- Staff levels were very low due to Covid-19 restrictions. The women’s toilets were open and men could use the disabled toilet in the admin building and two toilets in the work delivery mess area.
- With the men’s toilets closed, the on-site cleaner was instructed to pay more attention to the disabled toilet. An extra hour was added for cleaning the disabled toilet and welfare facility.
- We set up a fortnightly online meeting to discuss progress and invited an on-site representative.
- Work in September 2022 replaced the entire floor, fixed walls and redecorated to make the men’s toilets usable. They are now open again.