Skilled workers are considering leaving the trades — and toilets are to blame

Skilled workers are considering leaving the trades — and toilets are to blameBy Tessa Flemming for TrailblazersTopic:Trade7m ago7 minutes agoMon 16 Feb 2026 at 6:42pmLogan DeRuyter-Barnett and Jasmyn Smith created The GO Company after lived experience as electricians. (ABC News)In short:As Australia braces for a skills shortage, a lack of toilets on job sites is being called out. Women have spoken up about the challenges they face due to insufficient access to toilets and other barriers in the construction industry. What's next?Two electricians have created a personal hygiene pack to carry on site and are urging the sector to do better. abc.net.au/news/tradies-created-go-company-to-help-accessability/106244286Link copiedShareShare articleAustralia is bracing for an imminent skills shortage, as more workers leave the trades. It is estimated an additional 90,000 workers are needed by 2029 in order to meet national demand for new houses. Despite this, one particular cohort is losing tradies faster than it can bring them in, according to industry experts. And they're walking out — not over ability or aptitude — but toilets. Not having access to toilets or change rooms accounts for one of the sector's biggest gender barriers, according to a 2019 report by non-profit Tradeswomen Australia. At 17, Logan DeRuyter-Barnett experienced firsthand how the seemingly minor issue can derail confidence.The Tasmanian sparky had been nearing the end of a job when she needed to use the toilet. But, without her knowledge, the worksite's toilets had been moved to make way for landscaping. Plumbers hadn't yet connected the site's toilets, the one work car was ages away, and the nearby school was shut down for the holidays.No other arrangements had been made for Logan — the only woman on site. Logan DeRuyter-Barnett found her experience was similar to other women in the trades. (Supplied: Logan DeRuyter-Barnett)"There wasn't a chance to confide in anyone," Logan recalls."It was an 'oh s***' moment."Left without an alternative, she wet herself. "It was one of the lowest moments," she says. "After that, I started to not drink water at all on site because I didn't know when the next toilet was. "It always played in the back of my mind."That, in turn, led to non-stop headaches and migraines. She also believes the anxiety around finding a toilet intensified irregular periods and spotting. Now 26, Logan looks back on the incident as one that almost made her quit the industry — but was, unfortunately, not unique.Unfortunately, Logan's experience was not unique in the sector. (ABC News)Fellow tradie Jasmyn Smith can speak of her own similar experience.If there are portable toilets, they often do not have running water or sanitary bins. Sometimes they're overflowing, or simply closed off as storage by men. Like Logan, it means Jasmyn has been forced to work in bloodied pants while she had her period, or else wad up toilet paper. "I felt pretty vulnerable," Jasmyn recalls.And almost every other woman they've talked to can share a similar story.Toilets 'token' of gender barriersThe number of women in skilled trades persistently sits at roughly at 3 to 4 per cent.That is despite an 80 per cent increase in female apprentices since 2019, thanks in part to recruitment campaigns. "It isn't the old adage that women don't want to do trade work," Clea Smith, CEO of Tradeswomen Australia, says. "Women are putting their hand up."It's that the workplaces aren't safe or supportive."Chippy loves her trade, but says sexist remarks are a barrier for womenAs Australia's construction industry continues to suffer from a worker shortage, these female tradies say more women want to take up the tools but can't due to sexist attitudes on the site. Inaccessible toilets — alongside limited women workwear or PPE (personal protective equipment) — are a "token" of the broader gender inequality, Ms Smith believes."It's easy to think about being on site with no toilet ... but the same types of barriers are occurring at every level of the system." Another study, based on NSW women in construction, found 53 per cent experienced sexual harassment at work.A further 71 per cent of women working for smaller businesses reported gender-based discrimination. "One of the tradies I spoke to (said) it's death by 1,000 cuts," Ms Smith says, of the industry's cultural microaggressions. "Everyday, I'm having to just ignore it or put up a wall towards low-level, inappropriate sexualised comments. "It wears you down and at some point in time, your resilience isn't high enough and you just leave." "I wanted to leave the industry multiple times because thinking about the toilet was priority over thinking about my job," Logan adds. Ms Smith also believes harassment is largely under-reported at the apprentice level, for fear of the repercussions. Something Jasmyn