I've a few issues with a current site I'm working on, as I've been off today with gastro symptoms (and no pay) and will probably be off tomorrow too.

Illumination levels
This is the darkest site I've been on. I'm coming home with headaches each night.
What are the recommended illuminance levels for construction sites, i.e. the interior lighting for general fitting out (1st, 2nd fix) by carpenters, electricians, plumbers etc?.

Sanitation.
Although there is a lavatory block, it is locked off. In place of the loo block, there are 4 portaloos (for aybe 100 personnel working 7am-7pm), which make one retch as soon as the door is opened, the water has at times been frozen and there are no alternative hand washing facilities. There is soap in each portaloo, the dispensers aren't cleaned of their brown marks (barf!) except when the hirer comes to empty the portaloos (once a week?) I asked the maintainer for the MSDS for the soap but he didn't have one. It's very fragrant but fragrancy does not necessarily correlate with bactericidal and virocidal properties, it merely masks that the workmen still have [expletive deleted] on their hands and are transferring GI pathogens onto surfaces such as the refrigerator handle, the microwave oven door handle , the hot water urn dispensing handle etc

The site is a greenfield site, previously grazing land so there is probably a reasonably large concentration of bovine pathogens, which are in the mud everything is clarted with.

The loo block being locked off means no access to the barrier creams, or moisturisers, hence I've flare up of a post viral excema

The health and safety and general managers were round last week doing what health and safety professionals do best - ignoring serious H&S issues caused by management and pointing out the twigs in the workmens' eyes while ignoring the logs in theirs. What do they do all day?

So what recourse do we have?

Is there a line where someone could contact the HSE anonymously?

If I took swabs kits in tomorrow and sampled surfaces in the 'welfare' facilities which nearly everyone is likely to come into contact with, is there an agency I could send them to eg public health dept, HSE to force the hand of the main contractor to provide adequate sanitation?

You might want to focus on issues of general hygiene and cleanliness, and even on the abuse of the facilities that has obvious links to teh lack of care by your workmates.

Don't go down the line of MSDS of soap or issues like that. Even the cheapest brand soap is generally adequate. As in other circumstances that need not be mentionned here it is what you do with it that counts - good handwashing with soap and warm water, then drying in an airstream or on a suitable towel, preferably a disposable one, is the most important issue.

So actually your thoughts about transfer of pathogens to other surfaces is a little off the mark. It certainly happens, but the error is in the hand hygiene failures of your colleagues.

I would take a line on the practical issues - provision of soap and warm water, general hygiene standards, failure to maintain the facilities in a clean and satisfactory condition.

Don't get tangled with risks of infection as for every issue you try to raise there will be an answer that throws it back as the responsibility and failures of the workforce that will lead to an argument that you will never resolve.

Don't push for some sort of scientific testing. That will prove nothing but will offer another good reason to delay resolution.

Stick with the general hygiene issues, provision of suitable clean and safe facilities, soap, warm water, towels etc. Accept too that the problem is worsened by the users.

Ian

Ian is absolutely right. Don`t get bogged down on the scientific side. The simple fact is the conditions you describe seem to breach HASAWA Section 2 specific duties and/ or section 7. Having worked in construction for over 25 years I know that site welfare standards can be an afterthought with some management and the workers are often no better. The onus of responsibility lies with both parties but you`ll probably get a shrug of the shoulders and `its nothing to do with me` thrown at you. If your concerns are falling on deaf ears it sounds like you need to consider a call to the HSE (the number is on their webpage) but remember they might not respond immediately if they are dealing with something more urgent or are under resourced.
I had an experience last year where I phoned them about an asbestos issue in a local school and they were happy to believe whatever the local authority told them. The local authority were not managing the asbestos properly and in my opinion were totally at fault. So don`t hold your breath.