Quick Answer
If there’s no water at work, confirm whether it’s an external outage or an internal plumbing issue, contact the relevant water utility if supply is affected, and assess whether welfare and hygiene requirements can still be met.
If toilets and handwashing can’t be maintained, temporary welfare and sanitation provision is often needed to keep the site operating safely while repairs are completed.
Written by the team at euroloo, supporting commercial and construction sites with welfare and site facilities across the UK.
When there’s no water at work, the situation can escalate quickly.
Staff welfare, legal compliance, customer access and business continuity can all be affected – sometimes within hours.
For most organisations, the challenge isn’t understanding that there’s a problem, but knowing
who to contact first and what needs to happen immediately to stay operational.
This guide explains who to call when there’s no water at work, how responsibility is typically split,
and what organisations usually do while the issue is being resolved.
Step 1: Confirm what type of water issue you’re dealing with
Before making multiple calls, it’s important to understand the nature of the problem.
Common causes include:
- A burst water main
- Internal plumbing failure
- Planned utility works overrunning
- Loss of pressure or supply
- Water contamination or safety concerns
- A wider local outage affecting neighbouring properties
Identifying whether the issue is external or internal helps determine who is responsible
for repairs – and who is not.
Step 2: Contact the water utility provider (if the issue is external)
If the problem appears to be outside your building or site boundary, the first call is usually to the
local water utility provider.
They can:
- Confirm whether there is a known outage
- Advise on likely repair times
- Log the incident officially
- Provide updates as work progresses
Important: water utilities are responsible for restoring supply – not for on-site welfare
or compliance. Even when the fault is external, responsibility for staff and visitor welfare remains
with the employer or occupier.
Step 3: Assess whether the site can remain open
Once water is unavailable, organisations must assess whether they can continue operating safely
and legally.
- Are toilets operational?
- Is handwashing available?
- Can drinking water be provided?
- Are hygiene standards being met?
- Are staff, customers or contractors affected?
If essential welfare facilities are unavailable, temporary measures may be required to avoid
closure or non-compliance.
Step 4: Arrange temporary welfare and sanitation provision
If repairs are not immediate – which is often the case – many organisations put temporary solutions
in place to maintain operations.
- Temporary toilets
- Temporary handwashing facilities
- Welfare units for staff
- Short-term emergency sanitation cover
These measures are widely used across retail parks, offices, education sites, healthcare estates,
logistics hubs and live refurbishment projects.
Step 5: Stabilise operations while repairs continue
Once temporary measures are in place, the focus usually shifts to:
- Monitoring repair progress
- Maintaining safe welfare provision
- Communicating clearly with staff or tenants
- Minimising operational disruption
For longer outages, organisations often move from ad-hoc arrangements to short-term
continuity cover.
Key takeaway
The most effective response when there’s no water at work is structured and decisive:
- Confirm the cause of the outage
- Notify the water utility provider if relevant
- Assess welfare and legal obligations
- Put temporary solutions in place if required
- Maintain operations safely until repairs are completed
Organisations that act early reduce disruption, protect staff and customers,
and retain control of the situation.
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