Top Tips on Setting up a Locker Room

A locker room is an essential part of any facility, whether it’s somewhere for your staff to store their valuables while they work or for gym users to store their clothes. It may not be a part of the building that users come to you for specifically, but the security and usability of your locker room will certainly make a difference to their overall experience.

A locker room should be tailored to the intended users as, naturally, different scenarios require different size lockers, types of lock and materials. That’s why we’ve created this short guide to help with any considerations you might face when planning a space for a locker room.

Gym, Pools and Changing Rooms

1. Different sized lockers. Some people who arrive dressed to exercise won’t need a big locker, whereas others will need lots of space for all their belongings. Consider offering different sized lockers for your gym members so they can choose the best type of locker for them. This will make the most of the space that you have available.
2. Water resistant? If your lockers are near a pool then plastic will be the best material to use. Unlike metal, plastic is water resistant so it won’t rust or corrode. This plastic Probe Ultrabox grey locker is finished in ActiveCoat™ too, which is an anti-bacterial coating to help prevent the spread of germs.
3. Lock considerations. Most gyms have a lock that requires a padlock (aka hasp and a staple lock), which your gym members will use to lock their lockers with a padlock. If you decide that this is the best option for your locker room, then you should also provide padlocks and keys at the front desk for people who forget to bring their own.
4. Privacy. You also need to ensure that ease of access does not compromise privacy if users need to change. In a gym setting, you can assume that users will know privacy may not be at its highest, but you should provide changing rooms for individuals, families and disabled people, so there are options should they need the extra privacy.

Schools

1. Locker height. The first thing to think about will be how tall the pupils are. Will the children be able to reach the lockers to store their belongings? Will you be placing lockers in an area that only one age group will use or will it be a mix? This Probe two door locker is perfect for a mix of age groups – the older children can use the top locker and the younger children can use the lower one.
2. What’s going in the locker? Think about the items that they’ll be storing too. If they’re storing sports equipment or musical instruments, then they may need a full-size locker, whereas if they’re just storing coats and PE kits, then the lockers can be smaller, like these ones. Have a quick look at our handy locks explained graphic here.
3. Do you need storage space above the locker? A sloping top will help prevent clutter gathering on the lockers, but a flat top could provide welcome storage space for staff, particularly if the lockers are located inside the classroom.
4. Anti-bacterial. When it comes to materials, certain metals can have anti-bacterial properties, making them perfect for high-use areas. This means that with regular upkeep, metal lockers can help prevent the spread of MRSA, E-Coli and general bacteria for the lifetime of the locker.
5. What lock? Unlike gym lockers, school lockers are usually assigned to a particular person, so you may wish to provide key locking (aka cam lock) lockers for convenience. These types of lockers are usually provided with a key and a master key, so if a child has forgotten their key, you can still gain access to their locker.

Staff Rooms and Office Lockers

1. Variety. A staff locker room will be somewhere in between a school and a gym locker room due to the variety of belongings kept in the lockers. Staff may turn up to work dressed for the occasion, or they may choose to get changed there. This means that you should provide a variety of locker sizes to cater for their needs.
2. Lock type. However, staff will likely be employed for a period of time, so you may wish to provide key locking lockers (aka cam lock) as opposed to ones requiring a padlock (aka hasp and staple). Alternatively, you could use a coin operated locker like this one, and issue your staff with tokens. This way your staff can choose the right locker for their needs.
3. Specialist Lockers. If you’re setting up a locker room in a police or fire station, then specialist lockers like these are designed to keep uniforms in good condition and have ample room for helmets, jackets and more. Similarly, PPE lockers are designed to store bulky personal protection equipment safely.
4. Garment Dispenser/Collector Lockers are specifically designed for collecting used or soiled uniforms and dispensing new ones, which come in handy for factories, hospitals and hotels as they help prevent mould and bacteria.

General considerations

Will you need other locker room furniture?

Most locker rooms don’t just consist of lockers. Depending on their intended use, it’s likely that locker room benches, wall hooks and hanger rails will be useful too.

If your locker room is likely to get busy at certain times, a bench might be a good option to install along a wall to provide an alternate station for people to use. Wall hooks and hanger rails are useful in schools or staff rooms where the users know each other, as they come in handy to store coats and bags where locker space might be limited.

Space and layout

As one of the most important factors in setting up a locker room, space and layout will determine how functional your locker room is.

Users need to be able to access the lockers easily, particularly when at the area is likely to be crowded, such as during after-school classes or just before a sports game.

Locker room security

Finally, consider whether you will need an external lock on the locker room door itself, for example to keep the space secure during sports games or if items are being stored in the room for a few hours at a time.