Mr.Tuijp,
I agree with Mr.David fully.
Regarding western types and squat type of toilets, I don't see any reason why one should insist on the use of western type of toilets. It is the sanitation / cleaning, of hand and parts concerned after use which should be emphasised. How are you are sure that a guy using western toilet is not contaminated.
I would say even the use of toilet tissues is not right. Can we wipe contamination by toilet tissues? Is the bowel and the surroundings, wiped by a tissue paper, won't be a source of contamination when scratched during an itch? Ofcourse give training to the workers! But why not provide water, which is the best medium to clean and make the process more secure? Why impose western toilets to those who are used to Asian toilets? Does this means that all those who are in Asia and Africa using Squat toilets contaminate themselves? Please give a thought.
If the establishment is a food processing area, teach the workers on the proper use of Squat toilets. Provide them with footwear for use only in toilets ( we provide separate gumboots for toilet). The risk of insisting on the use of Western type toilets to employees who are used to squat toilets is more than the benefits. This was even a big debate here in Tanzania as well.
Please do a risk assessment in both.
Its like forcing an African eat using Chinese chop sticks.
I got some more information from the web and is interesting. Please go through.
Regards
Shahul Hameed,
Nile Perch Fisheries Ltd,
Tanzania.
Historical Background Copied from www.naturesplatform.com
Human beings have always used the squatting position for elimination. Infants of every culture instinctively adopt this posture to relieve themselves. Although it may seem strange to someone who has spent his entire life deprived of the experience, this is the way the body was designed to function.
The modern chair-like toilet, on the other hand, is a relatively recent innovation. It first became popular in Western Europe less than two centuries ago, largely by coincidence. Invented in England by a cabinet maker and a plumber, neither of whom had any knowledge of physiology, it was installed in the first dwellings to use indoor plumbing. The "porcelain throne" was quickly imitated, as the sitting posture seemed more "dignified" -- more suited to aristocrats than the method used by the natives in the colonies.
Two other influences also favoured the adoption of this new water closet. One was the headlong rush to modernize all existing sanitation facilities (which were in fact non-existent.) The public assumed that all the benefits of modern plumbing required the use of the seat-like toilet, since it was the only one having the proper fittings to connect to the pipes. This assumption was incorrect, since toilets with all the same flushing capabilities could be (and have since been) designed to be used in the squatting position.
Secondly, in nineteenth-century Britain, any open discussion of this subject was considered most improper. Those who felt uncomfortable using a posture for evacuation that had nothing to do with human anatomy were forced to keep silent. How could they denounce the toilet used by Queen Victoria herself? (Hers was gold-plated.)
So, like the Emperor's New Clothes, the water closet was tacitly accepted. The general discomfort felt by the population was indicated by the popularity of "squatting stools" sold in the famous Harrods of London. These footstools elevated one's feet while in the sitting position to bring the knees closer to the chest -- a crude attempt to imitate squatting.
The rest of Western Europe, as well as Australia and North America, did not want to appear less civilized than Great Britain, whose vast empire at the time made it the most powerful country on Earth. So, within a few decades, most of the industrialized world had adopted "The Emperor's New Throne."
150 years ago, no one could have predicted the effect of this change on the health of the population. But today, many physicians blame the "porcelain throne" for the high incidence of a number of serious diseases. Compared to the rest of the world, people in westernized countries have much higher rates of appendicitis, hemorrhoids, colon cancer, prostate cancer and inflammatory bowel disease.
Go to the following url for more information.
----- Original Message -----
From: David Byrom
To: 'Kees Tuijp' ; seafood@ucdavis.edu
Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2003 7:12 AM
Subject: RE: squat toilet
A squat toilet can be more hygienic than a Western style bowl depending on
circumstances. On installing Western type toilets here, great difficulties
were encountered by the workers squatting on the toilet seats rather than
sitting, causing damage to the seat and often missing with their aim making
it impossible for the next person to sit. It is all about keeping the
toilets in a clean and sanitary condition, I have never seen regulations
concerning toilet design.
David J. Byrom
Soltai Fishing & Processing Ltd.
PO Box 965
Honiara
Solomon Islands
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-seafood@ucdavis.edu [mailto:owner-seafood@ucdavis.edu]On Behalf
Of Kees Tuijp
Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2003 10:35 AM
To: seafood@ucdavis.edu
Subject: squat toilet
Dear members,
To my knowledge is a squat toilet (in good condition) allowed to use in a
(sea-)food processing plant. Or not?
Veterinary employees in Morocco now tell us that these type of toilets are
not allowed in a seafood processing plant. Is this true?
Are there legal (national) regulations that prohibit the use of squat
toilets?
Many thanks for a reply.
With best regards,
K. Tuijp
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