Bathroom use in the workplace being metered out/monitored

Hey all,

My effing company that USED to be great 7 years ago before we were sold, has been holding kaizens (lean six sigma shit) for all these years. This last round which was 2 weeks back (6 kaizens in one week focused on manufacturing - which is pretty much where they always focus). This one room where sr. citizens assemble the product we sell, employees who've been there over 12 years. Do an outstanding job and all..well...with this last kaizen they were told they had to take their bathroom breaks ONLY during their 15 minute breaks with are now designated to certain hours of the day. Their area has been changed up no less than 4 times in the last 2 years. None of it really does what management (upper management) thinks it will. It's always a colossal fail.

And now they've been relegated to metered out bathroom breaks. This is breaking my heart for them. If they need to leave their station they need to ask permission and get someone to step in for them. I said to one of our mangers that the time I've seen them walking to the bathrooms all these years is far less than the 2 15 minute breaks they're forcing on them. He said he brought that up during the kaizen but upper management doesn't want to hear it. Scuttle butt on the floor is that this is coming for all of us. Which is really only fair.

I did some research last night when I got home. This from the OSHA site:

Restrooms must be reasonably accessible to employees. Any restrictions an employer implements on restroom access is monitored on a case-by-case basis. No federal standard for the number of allowed restroom breaks or any specific restroom usage schedule exists.

On another link I found last night OSHA also stated that any restrictions on bathroom usage cannot lead to health concerns (UTI's anyone?).

If you have the time to read this one it's quite interesting. A gals story of her experience with this issue. Be sure and click on the "You can read an update to this story here". Sickening.
[link to www.askamanager.org]

Does anyone have any knowledge of the legalities of this implementation of bathroom usage? I'm so sick and tired of Lean and upper management I want to puke.