Housing for Health – the guide
  • Safety
    Electrical Safety

    Electrical Safety

    • A1.1 Functioning Safety switches
    • A1.2 Electrical earth connection
    • A1.3 Cabling and wiring
    • A1.4 Power points, lights and other fittings
    Gas Safety

    Gas Safety

    • A2.1 Gas Safety
    Fire Safety

    Fire Safety

    • A3.1 Fire prevention
    • A3.2 Fire and smoke detection
    • A3.3 Escape in the event of fire
    Structural Safety

    Structural Safety

    • A4.1 Structural safety
  • Health & Housing
    Washing People

    Washing People

    • B1.1 Wet area design
    • B1.2 Hot water
    • B1.3 Water outlets, valves & taps
    • B1.4 Washing young children ― hand basins, bathtubs, and laundry tubs
    • B1.5 Showers
    • B1.6 Wet area floor drainage (bathroom, shower, toilet and laundry)
    • B1.7 Turning the water off to allow plumbing maintenance
    Washing clothes and bedding

    Washing clothes and bedding

    • B2.1 Laundry design
    • B2.2 Drying clothes and bedding
    Removing waste water safely

    Removing waste water safely

    • B3.1 Flush toilets
    • B3.2 House drains
    • B3.3 Septic tanks, common effluent drains and on-site effluent disposal systems
    • B3.4 Aerated waste water treatment systems

    • B3.5 Dry toilets
    Improving nutrition – the ability to store, prepare and cook food

    Improving nutrition – the ability to store, prepare and cook food

    • B4.1 Quality of drinking water
    • B4.2 Food storage
    • B4.3 Preparing food – sinks and benches
    • B4.4 Cooking
    • B4.5 General issues for kitchen design
    Reducing the negative impacts of crowding

    Reducing the negative impacts of crowding

    • B5.1 Performance of health hardware in households with more people
    • B5.2 Developing the edges of the house and the yard
    • B5.3 Storage areas in the house
    Reducing the negative effects of animals, insects and vermin

    Reducing the negative effects of animals, insects and vermin

    • B6.1 Animals: Dogs, cats and others
    • B6.2 Animals: rats, mice, snakes and birds
    • B6.3 Insects: ants and cockroaches
    • B6.4 Insects: mosquitoes and flies
    • B6.5 Insects: Dust mites
    • B6.6 Insects: termites
    Reducing the health impacts of dust

    Reducing the health impacts of dust

    • B7.1 Reducing the health impacts of dust
    Controlling the temperature of the living environment

    Controlling the temperature of the living environment

    • B8.1 Human comfort and climate
    • B8.2 Passive design in tropical zones
    • B8.3 Passive design for houses in arid and temperate climates
    • B8.4 Active cooling of houses
    • B8.5 Active heating of houses
    Reducing hazards that cause minor injury (trauma)

    Reducing hazards that cause minor injury (trauma)

    • B9.1 Hazardous materials
    • B9.2 Personal security
    • B9.3 Preventing slips, trips and falls
    • B9.4 Preventing cuts and abrasions
    • B9.5 Preventing burns
  • Healthy Communities
    Water

    Water

    • C1.1 Water quantity and treatment systems
    • C1.2 Water quantity and demand management
    • C1.3 Rainwater, stormwater and recycled water for landscaping
    Energy

    Energy

    • C2.1 Electricity
    • C2.2 Gas
    Waste Water

    Waste Water

    • C3.1 Waste water
    Household rubbish disposal

    Household rubbish disposal

    • C4.1 Household rubbish disposal
    Community planning

    Community planning

    Landscaping

    Landscaping

    • C6.1 Landscaping
    Communications

    Communications

  • Home
  • Toolbox
  • FAQ
  • About
Home > Health & Housing > Washing People > Washing young children ― hand basins, bathtubs, and laundry tubs

B1.4 Washing young children ― hand basins, bathtubs, and laundry tubs

Regular washing of children can prevent the spread of disease and improve health. Every house requires at least one facility where babies and young children can easily be washed. Ideally, this would include a tub for washing babies and a bath for washing children.

Ceramic hand basins are usually too small for washing babies and plastic baby baths may not be available in the local store. Residents often use the laundry tub to wash young children because it is large and at a good height. Many laundry tubs have washing machine bypass drains ensuring that the washing machine wastewater does not pass through the tub. This reduces the chances of the dirty washing water contacting the young child.

If incorporating a separate bathtub in the wet area, avoid using a combination shower/bath as this can be difficult and dangerous to use, particularly for older people or people with disabilities. Plan the bathroom to allow an adult to attend to at least two children in the bathtub at once. Set out the bathroom for maximum accessibility for a person with limited mobility. When specifying a bathtub, consider durability, size and how it will fit within the overall wet area layout.

Data shows that the laundry tub provides the greatest opportunity to wash a small child, with 91 per cent of houses having a secure laundry tub. Bathtubs are available in more than half of all houses (54 per cent).

Although 91 per cent of houses had at least one hand basin the small size of the basin and the close proximity of taps and spout may make the hand basin difficult to use to wash babies.

Real world examples of problems

  • B1.4 001 Baths for washing children need to be safe and in good condition

Design and Specification

Ensure

  • B1.4.1.

    facilities are available for washing children in every house, including either a large hand basin, laundry tub or easily accessible bathtub, with tempered hot water, cold water and drainage to a waste water drainage system

  • B1.4.2.

    to allow the safe washing of a child in a laundry tub, a working washing machine wastewater bypass to separate the child from any washing machine grey water discharge

  • B1.4.3.

    bathtubs, hand basin and laundry tubs are fitted in accordance with local regulations

  • B1.4.4.

    the specification requires the builder to provide a warranty for the waterproofing of the bathroom area

  • B1.4.5.

    the specification requires a manufacturer’s warranty for the bath tub, hand basin and laundry tub

Consider

  • providing a 70 litre flush line tub with hot and cold water supply in the laundry or bathroom, set into a bench top, which will provide space for changing nappies, drying and dressing a child
  • alternatively, providing a larger hand basin in the bathroom to wash a baby
  • when providing a tub in the laundry, specifying a bypass drain for the washing machine to prevent dirty waste water from the washing machine flowing into the laundry tub
  • using a swivel spout and locating taps to prevent injury to children being washed in the laundry tub
  • connecting the laundry taps to the hot water tempering device to prevent scalding, particularly if the laundry tub taps will also be used for hand washing or for washing children
  • providing a bath tub for washing children
  • fitting a grab rail around the bath for children and elderly people to safely step in and out of the bath
  • providing a bench/seat near the bath for drying and dressing a child
  • using a chain to secure the tub/bath plug
  • providing a soap holder, shelves out of reach of children, towel rails, grab rails and hooks near the bath and/or tub
  • incorporating a separate bathtub in the wet area, and avoiding a combination shower/bath as this can be difficult and dangerous to use, particularly for older people or people with disabilities.

 

Real world examples of Solutions

  • B1.4 002 Laundry tub for washing children
  • B1.4 003 Bath with swivel spout
  • B1.4 004 A proud mum uses a laundry tub to wash a young child

Quality control

  • there is hot and cold water supplied to the tub and that the bath, taps and spouts do not leak
    info-icon
    AT HANDOVER
    FINAL COMPLETION
    TRADE TEST
  • drainage is connected to the hand basin / laundry tub / bathtub and does not leak
    info-icon
    AT HANDOVER
    FINAL COMPLETION
    TRADE TEST
  • the laundry tub is fixed and well sealed to the wall or bench
    info-icon
    DURING CONSTRUCTION
    AT HANDOVER
    FINAL COMPLETION
  • the bath tub has been securely supported at the base and water-proofed to adjoining walls
    info-icon
    DURING CONSTRUCTION
    AT HANDOVER
    FINAL COMPLETION
  • mould resistant silicon is used to seal laundry tubs and bath tubs to wall surfaces
    info-icon
    DURING CONSTRUCTION
    AT HANDOVER
    FINAL COMPLETION
  • the wall behind the laundry tub and/or bath has been waterproofed and lined with a water impervious surface such as wall tiles, laminated sheet, sheet vinyl or stainless steel, which is sealed to the bathtub, laundry tub hand basin and bench
    info-icon
    DURING CONSTRUCTION
    AT HANDOVER
  • the bath tub, hand basin or laundry tub are not cracked or damaged
    info-icon
    AT HANDOVER
    FINAL COMPLETION
    TRADE TEST
  • a swivel spout is fitted if specified
    info-icon
    COMPLETED DESIGN & SPECIFICATION
    DURING CONSTRUCTION
    AT HANDOVER
    FINAL COMPLETION
  • there is a plug, secured on a chain to the bath tub, hand basin or laundry tub
    info-icon
    AT HANDOVER
    FINAL COMPLETION
  • a bypass drain is provided for the washing machine in the laundry tub wastewater plumbing connection or by a separate wastewater pipe.
    info-icon
    COMPLETED DESIGN & SPECIFICATION
    DURING CONSTRUCTION
    AT HANDOVER

Maintenance

As part of cyclical maintenance, check that:
  • the hot and cold taps and drainage are all working
    info-icon
    Plumber, Local Maintenance Team
    12 Months
  • the fixtures and fittings are secure
    info-icon
    Plumber, Local Maintenance Team
    12 Months
  • there is a plug at the bath tub, hand basin and laundry tub
    info-icon
    Local Maintenance Team
    6 Months
  • the waterproofing is intact and there is no sign of mould or water penetration in the surrounding walls
    info-icon
    Plumber, Local Maintenance Team
    24 Months
  • silicon seal to edges of laundry tubs and bath tubs is intact
    info-icon
    Plumber, Local Maintenance Team
    24 Months
  • there is no water damage to surrounding benches and cupboards.
    info-icon
    Carpenter, Local Maintenance Team
    24 Months

Standard And References

AS/NZS 1229:2002  Laundry troughs and tubs

 

AS/NZS 2023:1995 Baths for ablutionary purposes

 

Bailie, R., Stevens, M., McDonald, E., Halpin, S., Brewster, D., Robinson, G. and Gutheridge, S. 2005

‘Skin infection, housing and social circumstances in children living in remote Indigenous communities: testing conceptual and methodologies approaches’ in BMC Public Health, 2005, 5: 128

Download PDF
Download PDF
  • Washing People
    • B1.1 Wet area design
    • B1.2 Hot water
    • B1.3 Water outlets, valves & taps
    • B1.4 Washing young children ― hand basins, bathtubs, and laundry tubs
    • B1.5 Showers
    • B1.6 Wet area floor drainage (bathroom, shower, toilet and laundry)
    • B1.7 Turning the water off to allow plumbing maintenance
of houses had a laundry tub as an option for washing young children
Click here for more data on Washing young children ― hand basins, bathtubs, and laundry tubs

Real world story

How a bathroom fails to function

How a bathroom fails to function in a two bedroom house, serving 3 families with 15 people. A new cake of soap is opened over the basin, the wrapper falls into the basin, gets wet and blocks the waste pipe trap. A box of laundry powder is…

The Health Story
About
the data
Who should use the Guide?
How to use
the Guide?
© 2023 Healthabitat Ltd. All rights reserved.
  • Site Map
  • News
  • Media Info
  • Copyright And Credits
  • Glossary
  • Contact Us
  • Health + Housing Resources