Women tradies say their amenities are an ‘afterthought’ in a male dominated industry

Shocking photos reveal the disgusting toilets female tradies have been forced to use at construction sites across the country.

Female tradies are having to leave worksites to go to the bathroom and in some cases are being forced to use dirty toilets defaced with offensive graffiti because amenities for women are so limited.

The Electrical Trades Union has released shocking photos of toilets on construction sites across the country that women have to use because they have no alternative.

The union is calling for laws to mandate safe female amenities on worksites, saying the failure to do so is leading to the exclusion of women from too many workplaces.

These laws are among the recommendations in an ETU campaign to increase the number of women working in male dominated occupational industries.

Electrician Sarah Brunton says in more than 20 years in the industry she hasn't seen women's amenities improve. Picture: Supplied

Sarah Brunton is an experienced Darwin electrician who says working in such a male-dominated industry means women’s toilets are usually an afterthought.

“I haven’t really seen it change much in more than 20 years,” she said.

“It depends where you’re working. Even on major projects that are supposedly world class I’ve seen situations there where male facilities have been provided and the female facilities have been overlooked.”

A portaloo stall that was assigned to women at a remote wind farm in Victoria. Picture: Supplied.

Women make up fewer than two per cent of the more than 60,000 electrical tradespeople and apprentices who are ETU members.

Ms Brunton said it could be intimidating to talk to male bosses about these issues, especially for younger women.

“I’ve never had a female boss before. It’s not a comfortable conversation going to ask a man for a tampon receptacle,” she said.

“From a work health and safety perspective it is an issue that needs to be dealt with across the board, we need to get some common rules in, across all the states and territories.”

A female electrician said she worked on Victorian wind farms with no toilet available.

She raised it with a manager, only to be told none of the men had complained.

“You would find bottles of piss and rags of pee throughout the turbines while they were being built. Everyone knew – and everyone knew not to touch any rags or mysterious bags left in the turbines,” she said.

Women in the electrical trade say they often have to use dirty toilets on construction sites or leave to find a female bathroom. Picture: Supplied.

Another female electrician said in four years spent on construction sites she had never seen a women’s toilet.

“The first thing I would do when arriving on site is try and find a toilet and make sure it is not down a dark alley or in a position where the girls would not be safe,” she said.

ETU National Secretary Allen Hicks said ensuring workplace amenities and in particular, workplace toilets, were available and suitable should be a minimum requirement of every workplace.

“Further, women face major barriers when attempting to address these issues, through the prevailing stereotypes and myths about women in male dominated workplaces,” he said.