Welfare Units on Construction Sites: A Complete Guide

19th August 2026

Cleveland Containers supplies welfare units that help construction sites meet CDM 2015, which requires toilets, washing facilities, drinking water, changing space and rest areas on every site.

Contractors typically combine a toilet block, changing room and canteen into a single compound to cover the requirement, with canteens providing access to drinking water via a sink. The right combination depends on how many people are on site, how long the job runs, and how the site is laid out.

What a Welfare Unit Is on a Construction Site

On construction sites, "welfare unit" is commonly used to describe the welfare facilities provided for the workforce, covering toilets, washing, changing and rest. Depending on the project, these facilities may be contained within a single combined cabin or made up of several separate units working together as a compound, typically a toilet block, changing room and canteen.

Setups can be static or mobile depending on the site. A small refurbishment might need just one combined cabin, while a larger project with a bigger workforce across multiple shifts typically needs several linked units instead.

Welfare Unit Legal Requirements Under CDM 2015

The requirement to provide construction site welfare facilities comes from Schedule 2 of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, known as CDM 2015. The Health and Safety Executive confirms this applies to any site, regardless of its size or how long the work lasts. There is no minimum project duration or headcount below which welfare facilities become optional.

Schedule 2 sets out five areas contractors must cover:

Sanitary conveniences (toilets)
Washing facilities
Drinking water
Changing rooms and lockers
Facilities for rest

The principal contractor carries responsibility for making sure these are in place from the first day on site and maintained throughout the project.

HSE guidance in CIS59 recommends one toilet for every seven workers as a practical benchmark, though the regulations themselves use the standard of "suitable and sufficient" rather than a fixed ratio, meaning the right number depends on workforce size, shift patterns and site layout.

What a Site Welfare Unit Typically Includes

A welfare setup usually draws on three types of cabin, each covering a different part of the Schedule 2 requirement.

Toilet Blocks

Site toilet blocks cover the sanitary conveniences and washing facilities requirement.Cleveland Containers offers toilet block options including 2+1 and 3+1 layouts, helping sites choose a setup that suits workforce size and available space. Units include private toilet and washing facilities, with features such as insulated walls and PIR sensor lighting to help support practical, cost-effective site use.

Changing rooms

Changing rooms cover the changing and storage element. Cleveland Containers offers changing room units in 20ft and 32ft sizes, helping sites choose a layout that suits workforce numbers, available space and project requirements. Units can include continuous benching, coat hooks, heating and an anti-vandal steel shell, making them suitable for daily use across construction, rail and event sites.

Canteens

Canteens provide the rest and eating facilities Schedule 2 requires, giving teams a dedicated space to prepare food and take breaks away from the work area. Cleveland Containers offers canteen units in 20ft and 32ft sizes, with layouts that can include a kitchen area, sink, cupboard space, seating and heating depending on site requirements.

Combining toilet blocks, changing rooms and canteens into a single welfare compound is the standard way to cover all five Schedule 2 areas on a typical site.

Choosing the Right Welfare Unit for Site Size and Workforce

Choosing the right construction site welfare unit depends on:

How many people are on site - smaller crews are usually well served by a single combined cabin or a compact toilet and changing room pairing, while bigger workforces need multiple linked units.
How long the project runs - short-term jobs are usually well served by a single combined cabin, while longer projects are more likely to need a larger, multi-unit setup.
How the site is laid out - where shifts overlap or the site spans a wide area, facilities need to stay within easy reach of every work zone.

Site layout also affects which size cabin makes sense. Cleveland Containers' site accommodation range includes 20ft and 32ft changing rooms and canteens, alongside toilet blocks and a smoking shelter. Larger units suit bigger crews, or sites combining welfare facilities with office and storage cabins in the same compound.

Get a quote to find the right size and configuration for your site.

Hiring or Buying a Welfare Unit for Your Project

Whether to hire or buy comes down to how long the facilities are needed and whether the units will move between sites afterwards.

Hire: suits short-term and fixed-duration projects, since it avoids tying up capital in equipment that will only be used once.
Buy: often becomes more cost-effective for contractors who move welfare units between projects over time, since ownership spreads the cost across multiple jobs rather than one.

We offer both routes across the full site accommodation range, with a variety of stock available depending on budget and turnaround.

If hire suits the project, our welfare unit hire options cover toilet blocks, changing rooms and canteens individually or as a combined setup.

For projects better suited to ownership, our welfare units for sale range lists current stock, sizes and pricing.

FAQ

HSE guidance (CIS59) recommends one toilet for every seven workers as a working benchmark. CDM 2015 itself does not set a fixed number, instead requiring "suitable and sufficient" provision based on workforce size and site conditions.

CDM 2015 Schedule 2 applies to any construction site regardless of its size or how long the work lasts. There is no project duration or headcount threshold that removes the requirement.

HSE allows this only where there is agreement with the facility's owner, the facilities are available at all times workers are on site, and arrangements are in place for keeping them clean and stocked. Relying on existing facilities without these conditions does not meet the requirement.

Separate facilities are expected where reasonably practicable. Where this is not possible, lockable individual cubicles that anyone can use are the accepted alternative under HSE guidance.