Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene November - December 2016 vol.11 No.6 | Page 34

Sanitation

to toilets, but, for instance, only 40% of the urban
population in Sub-Saharan Africa has access to a
domestic toilet (WHO/UNICEF 2015).
Where toilets are present, a big issue for many workers
is the way in which toilet breaks are controlled by the
management. If access is restricted, people will hold
back the urge to go, and even avoid food and drink
to minimise how many times they might need to visit
the toilet. Beyond the inconvenience and discomfort,
this can have health impacts, particularly for women,
leading to absenteeism and disease (BSR 2010).
Loss of productivity due to illnesses caused by lack
of sanitation and poor hygiene practices is estimated
to cost many countries up to 5% of GDP (Hutton
2012). In sectors such as the garment industry, the
global workforce is 80% female (Business for Social
Responsibility 2010). Investing in good toilets in
workplaces and schools so that women and girls
have clean, separate facilities to maintain their dignity,
and to manage menstruation or pregnancy safely,
can boost what is often referred to as the ‘girl effect’:
maximising the involvement of half the population in
society (Girl Effect 2015).
• According to the International Labour Organization
(2003), disease transmission accounts for
approximately 17% of workplace deaths each year
and most of these are a result of poor sanitation and
unsafe hygiene practices.
• According to a study in the UK, sick days are
estimated to cost companies a minimum of $117
per person per day (Braun et al 2014).
• In Vietnam, profitability was 7.6% higher in factories
where workers expressed greater satisfaction with
water, air quality, toilets, canteens and health services
provided, holding other factors constant (ILO  2015).
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Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene • November - December 2016

NOT EVERY TOILET IS A GOOD TOILET
Anecdotal evidence from many low-income
countries tells us that even when a toilet
is physically present in the workplace, it
doesn’t necessarily mean a person has
access to safe, effective sanitation. We
have to ask: are there sufficient numbers of
toilets? Are they working, clean, lockable?
Are there separate facilities for men and
women? Is there running water for people to
wash their hands or for women to manage
menstruation safely?

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