Construction sites are always bustling with people working hard to keep the project on track and on schedule. Portable toilets, like all other necessary pieces of equipment, should be considered one of the essential elements of equipment that every construction job site requires to keep running smoothly, along with tools, materials, and hard workers.
Providing portable restrooms on a construction site leads to better morale and productivity, what could be more important than keeping the construction process moving forward efficiently? On a construction site with no porta-potty, crews have no choice but to take care of business offsite. At some work sites, this might be a convenience store up the street, while on more remote job sites it can mean a lot more travel time just to find a toilet. This results in less productivity and higher costs per man-hour of work, not to mention potential liability issues as they travel to find a bathroom. Considering the pros and cons of portable toilet rental, having a portable restroom on a construction site simply makes good business sense.
But how do you determine the number of portable toilets you need for your construction sites? How often will they need to be serviced? What location on the job sites should toilets be placed? Below are a few tips for understanding the factors affecting portable toilets for construction sites:
Maintenance of Portable Restrooms
The amount of traffic and use, as well as the length of time for the construction project, will determine how often portable toilet servicing is necessary. To maintain sanitary conditions and meet industry requirements, long-term construction projects will require multiple toilet service visits. Every seven days is the generally recommended time to service and clean toilets. This sanitation schedule may vary depending on the number of workers on the site (some weeks there may be more than others), as well as the season—summer heat might necessitate more frequent servicing—and usage volume.
People to Portable Restrooms Ratio
As a simple rule of thumb: each construction site needs a minimum of one portable toilet for every ten workers. If there are more than 20 workers on a construction site, 1 toilet seat and 1 urinal per every 40 workers is standard. On especially large projects where crew numbers exceed 200, one toilet and 1 urinal for every 50 is the standard. An onsite urinal/toilet combination unit is recommended whenever possible to accommodate a higher volume of use.
Easily Accessible and Convenient
For large worksites, it is recommended for toilets to be easily accessible at various convenient locations around the site, rather than placing toilets all in one location. 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”. Proper planning and placement are important to avoid lost time and productivity, those saved minutes can really add up over the weeks and months of the project.
Money Saving Potential of Portable Restrooms
By offering a restroom on the job location, you may cut down on the distance workers must travel to use a toilet and the time they need to search for an alternative facility if no near restroom is available.
Below is a breakdown of 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).
When you think about the repercussions of not providing toilets for your workers, it’s easy to see why having portable toilets on site is necessary. Bathroom breaks are necessary for anyone in the labor force – builders, laborers, or office workers – keeping a few clean portable toilets on hand is important for employee morale and is viewed positively by clients. Keeping both satisfied is critical to success.
Dumpster with a Porta-Potty in Bradenton
If you’re looking for portable rental restrooms for your next job site in Bradenton, be sure to check out redbox+ Dumpsters of the Suncoast! Our innovative product combines a portable restroom and a dumpster to create the most efficient option for your construction site. Call us at 727-513-3260 to learn more!