Pooping at work shouldn’t be a health risk

The BC Building Trades want to make sure every worker can go to the toilet safely – even in the middle of a construction site.

The Challenge

More than a century after the widespread introduction of flush toilets, most of us take safe, clean bathrooms for granted. But for trades workers on a job site, dirty plastic porta-potties are still the unsanitary reality.
These outdated bathroom facilities are a serious health risk to workers forced to use them, and with affordable modern flush toilet options widely available, the BC Building Trades worked with us to pressure employers, and Worksafe BC, to make flush toilets the norm.

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Our Solution

To get past the “tough guy” factor common in the trades, we knew we needed to make advocates feel just as uncomfortable as they are using dirty porta potties at a festival or event.

We crafted a cheeky campaign called “Get Flushed” – a message for construction employers – and introduced our campaign mascot “Poopy”, as well as a “Porta-Potty Profile” quiz that challenged supporters of flush toilets to identify their porta-potty persona.

The campaign used cheeky targeted digital ads, as well as stickers and other collateral to drive awareness and engagement. The campaign microsite (link) included an advocacy action where supporters can send a message to Worksafe BC calling for flush toilets to be mandatory on all job sites.

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The Results

The campaign made a splash (pun intended) – do we have any examples of earned media?.
Hundreds of people took the quiz and send messages of support to Worksafe BC.
And while the fight for hygienic toilets on construction sites isn’t over – this campaign left a streak that can’t easily be washed away.

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Get Flushed was acknowledged with a 2022 Reed Award for Best International Campaign (Sub-National) – Issue.