No stall doors in restroom potential health and safety standard violation
Male students and employees are paying for “illicit sexual activity” that occurred a dozen years ago in the men’s bathroom near the north entrance of Popejoy Hall.
The Physical Plant Department administration removed stall doors from the bathroom in the late ‘90s after reports of criminal sexual activity, said Gary Smith, associate director of Environmental Services at PPD.
“The reason the doors were taken down was because of the illicit sexual activity that took place in there,” he said “The new art building is the same way because apparently (the) same things happened there.”
Vandalism was another factor in the decision to remove the doors, Smith said.
“Our area manager had to install tamper-proof lighting systems in the bathrooms, because people were going into the ceiling and removing the lights so it stayed dark in there,” he said. “They also had to line the stalls with diamond-plate metal because people were cutting holes in the stalls.”
On top of appearance and privacy issues, the lack of stall doors violates Occupational Safety and Health Administration Standards.
The men’s restroom in question can be used by both the public and employees.
OSHA Standards specify that employee restrooms in permanent places of employment must adhere to privacy regulations.
“Each water closet shall occupy a separate compartment with a door and walls or partitions between fixtures sufficiently high to assure privacy,” the clause reads.
However, the International Building Codes — which outline regulations for public restrooms in New Mexico — have no language requiring stall doors.
There is at least one employee bathroom on the third floor of Popejoy Hall.
Smith said the Physical Plant Department was unaware that the absence of doors is a standards violation, and if it is valid the doors will be replaced as soon as possible.
“Now that it has been brought to our attention as a violation, we will assess if it is necessary to reinstall doors,” he said. “If it is truly a violation, I would direct to put the doors back on the stalls.”
Student Ivan Miller sent an e-mail Nov. 21 to the UNM music department chair voicing his concern over the lack of doors. Steve Block, music department chairman, said in his reply to the letter that the bathroom’s “unsavory” reputation would prevent the doors from being replaced.
Miller said he thinks removing the doors was unnecessary and gives the University an unprofessional impression to visitors.
“I haven’t ever seen anything sketchy in those bathrooms,” he said. “I just think it’s entirely unprofessional for an institution like UNM to not have bathroom doors. They are right next to Popejoy and I’m sure it is odd for people visiting Popejoy to see we don’t have stall doors. It gives them a negative impression of UNM.”
Music student Claudio Perez said being unable to use the bathrooms is an inconvenience.
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“It is pretty annoying because if I actually have to go to the bathroom I have to go downstairs and use (the) one down there,” he said. “It’s kind of an invasion of privacy in my opinion. I have no idea why they removed them, but they should definitely put them back on.”
*“Each water closet shall occupy a separate compartment with a door and walls or partitions between fixtures sufficiently high to assure privacy.”
~OSHA standards state*
