A tribunal decreed that employers could be in breach of the Human Rights Act if they prevented workers going to the lavatory. In a written ruling, the employment tribunal said that Mr Gavin Ruddick's quality of life had been "severely impaired". It decided that although the security industry was not subject to the law that requires workers to have a 20-minute break every six hours, it must do the "next best thing", such as allowing a number of shorter rest periods or one longer break.