Please help.

[owlet]

I was unsure which category to put this under as there are so many problems. I currently work at a bird of prey centre. I am supposed to be getting sent to a recycling plant (all male staff) to carry out pestcontrol. They have male staff to do this job, but want to have me doing it to provide some relief. However, this has raised many issues as they haven’t sent a female down there before and the staff above me feel that it would not befair to send a female due to the nature of the site and the way the men are with one another. Basically they are worried a female might feel uncomfortable with catcalling. This is something that has worried me also, but I didn’t get a chance to bring up the topic myself as the owner brought it up, letting me know in no uncertain terms that I would just have to put up with it and take it as a compliment, according to him 90% of females are flattered by catcalling and I am a feminist for calling it unwelcome attention. Bearing in mind that this hasn’t even happened yet, he has decided that because I wouldn’t be comfortable with it he cannot send me and I have put him in a compromising position. I also haven’t had adequate training and there is no female toilet on site.
I am meant to be having a meeting about this soon, have no idea when and I really don’t know what to do. I love my job at the centre, but this has really put a dampener on things. Can anyone offer some advice?

[Snoopy1948]

Re: Please help.

Hi owlet !

Just to define your concerns here, are you saying that you wish to be sent to the recycling centre but don't know how to deal with the objections that are being put forward to,prevent this or are you more worried about that so called catcalling that may happen?

I guess there's also the issue of you not being properly trained to date and the lack of a female toilet. How concerned are you over that?

My my immediate thoughts are that sexual discrimination should not apply here as I assume you can do the job on the same level as a man. As for the mentioned catcalling, and while I believe it would be sexual abuse in some people's view, it seems that's been put to you as a scare tactic. The question is would it affect you if it happened and could you rise above it without comment?

Without seeing the whole situation in detail, it is very hard to comment in detail but I think the dilemma needs resolving with what you personally want out of this, without sounding demanding. Perhaps suggesting you could accompany a male colleague in the first instance for a training and familiarisation visit?

[owlet]

Re: Please help.

Thank you for your reply. I am concerned about the possibility of catcalling. But I am willing to do the job and hope that if I was to be harassed/intimidated that something could be done about it. The problem is that I never even brought it up and now I know that if it does happen I will just have to put up with it or risk losing my job. I have had a ten minute induction so have seen the site and know that the job will involve walking around with a falcon with trucks passing every few seconds.

The toilet thing is an issue. I don't think I will feel comfortable using a males toilet at all, but especially when I am completely on my own.

Regarding training, I agree that it would be good to shadow a male colleague, but apparently my induction is the only training I get. It seems unlikely they will send me now because they are worried it will be a problem and because I am in my 3 month probation period (just!) I feel it is more likely they will just let me go.

[LowEbb]

Re: Please help.

Catcalling! Is this for real?

Bit of a worry about the toilet situ though, are you saying it's just a urinal then?

[owlet]

Re: Please help.

Yep, he called it catcalling.

I am guessing it's a full toilet, but only men use it. There is one female toilet on site, in an office, but I am not allowed to use it due to cross contamination.

[LowEbb]

Re: Please help.

Cross contamination of what?

[Celestine]

Re: Please help.

Falcons and Filing Cabinets....very dangerous.

[owlet]

Re: Please help.

Cross contamination from the site. I know...

[des8]

Re: Please help.

depends on what is being recycled .............. sewage plant....... never know what's on your boots or bot

[Amethyst]

Re: Please help.

If you lost your job because of this incident then it would be sex discrimination.

The recycling centre owner is discriminating against you because you are a woman, and your employer is acquiescing to his wishes, which makes your employer guilty of discrimination too. You are being prevented from doing your job because, and only because, you are a woman and would feel uncomfortable with sexual harrassment.

Cross contamination - presumably you'd be climbing about the rubbish/recycling with the bird etc doing your job, so there will be quite strict rules about contamination into the office areas, so I can understand that, however I'm pretty sure there are rules on toilet facilities in the workplace.

Might be an idea to give ACAS a call and discuss the situation, so you know exactly what rights you have and how the employer (and owner of the recycling plant) SHOULD behave so you are more confident standing up for yourself.

[des8]

Re: Please help.

The relevant legislation is the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992. Regulation 20, Sanitary conveniences, states:

1. Suitable and sufficient sanitary conveniences shall be provided at readily accessible places.
2. Without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (1), sanitary conveniences shall not be suitable unless -
   • the rooms containing them are adequately ventilated and lit;
   • they and the rooms containing them are kept in a clean and orderly condition; and
   • separate rooms containing conveniences are provided for men and women except where and so far as each convenience is in a separate room the door of which is capable of being secured from inside.

The Approved code of practice goes on to give minimum numbers of facilities:
(The number of people at work shown in column 1 refers to the maximum number likely to be in the workplace at any one time)
Number of toilets and washbasins for mixed use (or women only):

1-5	1	1
6-25	2	2
26-50	3	3
51-75	4	4
76-100	5	5

[Amethyst]

Re: Please help.

So one room, so long as the outer door is lockable ( as well as the cubicle if multiple conveniences) , can cover both sexes ?

[ostell]

Re: Please help.

Why worry about the toilets? Do you have separate male and female at home? Ever been to France. Quite common for the women to have to walk past the urinals on the way to the shared stalls. It would be sexual discrimination not to send you to improve your job experience.