Your construction site is full of waste. It’s just the fact of the matter. It doesn’t matter if you’re working on a small roofing job, or a big commercial building, you need to find a way to manage that waste in order to keep your project running on time. Most construction waste can be handled with the proper dumpster, but your crew produces waste all on their own, and they need a place to take care of it quickly. That’s where a portable toilet comes into play.
Any foreman or project manager worth their salt knows that having portable restrooms on a construction site benefits morale and efficiency. Those are two of the most crucial things for keeping the construction process moving forward in a timely manner. Your crew will have no choice but to take their business off site if you choose to not rent a porta potty. At some work sites, this might be easy as there could be a convenient store up the street. However there are lots of jobs where your crew will have to jump in their car and travel just to find a toilet. We all know what that can mean: less productivity, higher costs per man-hour of work, and potential liability issues. When you consider these pros and cons of portable toilet rental, having a portable restroom on a construction site simply makes good business sense. Plus, who would want to work for a boss that won’t provide you with a convenient place to go to the bathroom?
Now that you know the reasons why you should rent a porta potty, here are some of the factors you need to consider for maintenance and best practices.
Servicing and Cleaning the Toilets
Obviously, there isn’t exactly “plumbing” inside a portable toilet. That means waste sits there until it’s removed or “serviced” How often it needs to be serviced depends on the amount of traffic/use and the length of time for the construction project to be completed. The industry standard is roughly once every seven days, however, larger job sites or even weather conditions can change this rule as more servicing may be necessary.
The Toilet to Construction Worker Ratio
This is actually a really easy ratio. Your construction site needs a minimum of one portable toilet for every ten workers. If there are more than 20 workers, 1 toilet seat and 1 urinal per every 40 workers becomes the standard. On a more extensive project where a crew can easily exceed 200 hardworking individuals, one toilet and 1 urinal for every 50 is the standard. Whenever possible, having a urinal/toilet combination unit onsite is recommended to accommodate a higher volume of use.
Place the Porta Pottys According to Your Layout
You should never place your porta pottys in just one spot on your site. This is especially true if you have a big construction site where it will be difficult for people working in the various parts of the site to reach in time. Having toilets strategically placed within the working area reduces the amount of time it takes for crew members working in the far back lot to “take care of business”. Those saved minutes can really add up over the course of weeks and months so proper planning and placement are important to avoid lost time and productivity. Basically, you just need to know your layout inside and out and place your toilets accordingly.
Portable Toilets Are the Best Investment
Okay, so you’re not exactly day trading when you rent a porta potty. However, the time your crew has to spend finding a bathroom will have an effect on your bottom line (and theirs). This is the annual cost of 10 minutes of wasted toilet time per employee, per day:
Hourly Rate 5 Employees 10 Employees
$10.00 $2,125.50 $4,250.00
$13.00 $2,762.50 $5,525.00
$15.00 $3,187.50 $6,375.00
(Formula: Hourly Rate divided by 60 Minutes Per Hour x 10 Minutes x Number of Employees x 255 Days Per Year. Referenced through a study conducted by the Portable Sanitation Association International).
There are way more disadvantages to not renting a portable toilet than simply renting the proper amount for your site. Especially when you view them as an investment. You are literally wasting away money by not using this excellent waste management tool.
If you’re looking for portable rental restrooms for your next job site in the greater Baton Rouge area, be sure to check out the options we offer here at redbox+ Dumpsters of Baton Rouge! Our innovative product called The Elite Dumpster combines a portable restroom and a dumpster creating the world’s most efficient waste management product for construction sites. Call us at 225-425-3210 to learn more!