Toilets for Employees - Restroom Access for Transgender Workers

Most workplaces provide separate restrooms for men and women. In the cases where employees identify as transgender, this can pose valid concerns over which facility to use. What can be done to make employees comfortable and ensure OSHA compliance?

In its document titled A Guide to Restroom Access for Transgender Workers, OSHA states that "all employees, including transgender employees, should have access to restrooms that correspond to their gender identity." The Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles reports that 700,000 adults in the United States are transgender (which means their internal gender identity differs from the gender they were assigned at birth). Some of these individuals transition from living as one gender to another.

According to OSHA, "many companies have implemented written policies to ensure that all employees - including transgender employees - have prompt access to appropriate sanitary facilities. The core belief underlying these policies is that all employees should be permitted to use the facilities that correspond with their gender identity. For example, a person who identifies as a man should be permitted to use men's restrooms, and a person who identifies as a woman should be permitted to use women's restrooms."

To learn more about HAZWOPER visit our HAZWOPER 40 Hour Online Training web page.