Providing Drinks at work

Hi Em,

Having a record of something being posted and accepted is a very sure way of ensuring they received important documentation.

I hope it goes well for you and good luck in your venture.

Hi Wayne,

What a brilliant idea, I didn't think of the recorded delivery letter. I do send my invoices via email. I have looked for another venue and am starting one class this Wednesday. Now to find other places for my other classes. Scary but i'm ready for it.

Thanks em x

Send your employer a letter recorded delivery explaining all you owed monies and any contract you have with her. If she gives no reply pass the details on to a small claims court and find another venue!

I'm sure if you explain the circumstances to your attendee''s they will move with you to your new venue.

Well the lady where I work isn't very good at paying me. I am now owed 2 months wages. If I didn't love teaching so much I would have left a long time ago. She seems very money orientated. Some times I think I have the word mug tattooed across my forehead

Many years ago Nigel my Karate club used to sell drinks and used to put the money towards various things I.e. trophies at the end of the year at the club awards, outings at summer, etc.

Ossu!

Em - I run a small martial arts Dojo and we sell drinks to all our members usually at a cheaper price than the supermarkets. We make a profit which helps to keep the Dojo up and running and our members are actually grateful for the service as we are saving them money.
It's all a matter of proportion and economics.
Remember your boss may be trying to make money to help pay your wages!

Simon - not that I like to play the disability card, but reasonable adjustments must now be made regardless of the presence of an employee with a disability. Providing drinking water in this circumstance would mean it would have to be on every floor. If an employee had a movement type disability then asking them to travel 5 floors may well be a breach of DDA. Just a thought.
There is a simple management tenant that should be employed. 'Look after your staff and they will look after you'.

Soi will let all my students to bring their own water x

Thanks glen, think the lady where I work is only thinking of financial gain and not the wellbeing of students. It's a shame when people stop thinking of others and only them selves xx

Hi em

My interpretation is that you, as an employee, are entitled to wholesome drinking water. The students are simply customers and I don't think they would qualify under HASAW per se. The owner, however, does have a duty under section 3.3 towards others not in their employment who may be affected by their undertakings. Part of your risk assessment for the well-being of your students should include rehydration if you anticipated their activities would involve a certain amount of exertion. To that end your mitigation would be to encourage students to either bring sufficient water to class or make them aware they can also purchase. I am sure they would quickly catch on and bring their own.

Just to reinforce the point - you are entitled to free, wholesome drinking water - is this facility available for you?

Hi having a problem finding an answer to my query can anyone help? I work at a small yoga/ dance studio and the person who owns it has just stopped providing free water to the students, unless they pay for bottled water. Is this legal? Surly we should be providing for our students? can I be fired for getting them a drink out the tap?

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Fascinating - and surprise surprise this is public sector! I don't think that having to go down seven floors is "adequate" at all!

All - many thanks for these points.

Martin - as per Gilly's point, I was wondering whether a water supply 5 floors down could be considered 'readily accessible'?

I am going to time myself walking down the stairs (the lift is, of course, out of order), filling up my bottle and coming back up, multiplying that by 2 (as we should all be drinking 2 litres of water a day!) and that by the number of people in the office to get total minutes wasted.

As I work in the public sector I fear this may fall of deaf ears however.

Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regs Reg 22 states:
"(1) An adequate supply of wholesome drinking water shall be provided for all persons at work in the workplace.
(2) Every supply of drinking water required by paragraph (1) shall -
(a) be readily accessible at suitable places; and
(b) be conspicuously marked by an appropriate sign where necessary for reasons of health or safety."
This indicates it should be "readily accesible" and is a "shall" (as in duty) not an "AFARP" as in "reasonably practicable.

Simon, I agree with Kevin, and this kind of knee-jerk short-sightedness seems to be the trend in management circles now.

On the other hand, maybe they watched Dragons Den, and will be buying all their staff collapsible bottles now.

Simon, Provision for drinking water is all that is required, there is no implied require for "readily Accessible".

You have to remember of course that everything is based of what is "reasonably practical" or from a legal point of view "If it can be done" then "it will be done".

But that's all! I just hope that whoever made the decision to provide just drinking point knows what they are doing. Just wait for the first example of someone slipping on the stairs and they may well re-think their approach. All you can do is advise of the potential risk and then let them make the decision.

This seems very short-sighted to me. The downtime likely to be caused by employees travelling to the fountain and back, possibly even queueing, will probably exceed the cost of providing a supply to each floor.
Then you can expect increased lift traffic (and use of electricity), regular spills (which could lead to slips and falls, and by extension absence through accident) and impact on customers, if they happen to share the traffic route and lifts with employees.

I work on the 5th floor of a 7 storey building and have today been told that the water coolers on each floor will be removed, and 1 mains supply fountain installed on the ground floor.

Is there any case law on the meaning of "readily accessible" in Regulation 22?

This indg244 may be more easily understood as it breaks down the composite elements for welfare and facilities rather than too much legislative jargon.

I hope it helps.

Graham

You should visit HSE's website and download L24 free of charge, Link below.
This is specific to workplace welfare generally with regulation 22 refering explicitly to the provision of drinking water.

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/l24.htm