attention in 2022, symbolically shows that the safe and hygienic working environment of
workers is not protected.
The duty to install toilets is stipulated in the ‘Act on Public Toilets, Etc.,’ the ‘Construction
Workers Act,’ and the ‘Installation and Operation Guide for Washrooms, Bath Facilities and
Toilets at Workplaces,’ prepared by the Ministry of Employment and Labor in 2019.
However, the convenience facilities that are mandated in the relevant regulations do not have
size or area standards depending on the number of workers, so the number of toilets are
insufficient for the number of workers and takes too long to use in many cases.
In addition to facility problems, lack of manpower, labor intensity, and control over the
use make it difficult for the workers to use the toilet. There are cases where even the time to
use the bathroom is subjected to direct control (using for less than 5 minutes or 10 minutes
every 2 hours, etc.), and some workers cannot leave the workplace because he/she is
working alone. Workers working in such conditions are in a situation where even the
minimum autonomy is violated, such as limiting the amount of water intake, etc.620)
Discrimination between workers and subcontractors is also a cause of problems. In
addition to the cases discussed above, in the case of female workers, even if there is no direct
restriction, there are cases where only toilets without gender distinction are available to
make it difficult to use the toilet. The problem with the use of the bathroom can act as
discrimination between people in the same space and is also a result of the discriminatory
working environment.
C) The Need to Create a Healthy Working Environment in the Workplace
The UN Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) specifies the state's
obligations to ensure the safety and health of workers, with Article 7 stipulating that
everyone has the right to enjoy safe and healthy working conditions, and Article 12
stipulating the improvement in all areas of environment and industrial hygiene as the
measures to be taken by the state to achieve the highest attainable level of physical and
620) Korea Labor Safety and Health Research Institute, A study on the status of toilet use and health effects in the
workplace of female workers, Mar. 2021
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