When general contractors plan their construction projects, portable sanitation costs should be part of the expense estimation. Some still choose to ignore it though, which is not a good idea for a variety of reasons, and we are about to discuss some of those reasons next.
Legal Obligations
Let’s start with the most important reason why portable sanitation in a construction site is not optional under certain circumstances. If the sewer lines at the site are taken out of commission for at least 72-hours, or there is no other way for the workers at a construction site to reach any toilet facility nearby, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) makes it compulsory for the construction site to have a portable toilet of some kind present.
Safety and sanitary requirements
It is neither legal or sanitary to relive one’s bladder or bowels on the side of a construction site. Unfortunately, when the contractor in charge of the project doesn’t provide a mobile sanitation system for the workers, they are left with no option but to jeopardize their own safety and break the law for obvious reasons. If the contractor is found to be guilty of such, the state authorities will prosecute them.
Respecting privacy
Not every construction site is in the middle of nowhere though, but just because your employees are working to renovate a house or an office, it doesn’t automatically give them the permission to use the building’s sanitary facilities.
By not providing your workers with a portable toilet or two, the contractor is essentially forcing them to use the client’s toilets, whether the client likes it or not. This creates a bad reputation, as most people take sanitation very seriously. This mistake could also be the reason why the contractor might not hear from the client ever again.
Efficiency
Speaking from a purely business perspective, not having a portable restroom can be counterproductive. Men usually have to go to the toilet multiple times in a day, which means that every time they have to leave the site and find a toilet nearby, they are losing work time.
At the end of a workday, it eats quite significantly into the total work done but does nothing to decrease the project’s labor expenses. On the other hand, the excess time wasted in restroom trips will cost the contractor extra money since the work will take longer to finish.
For more than 60 years, Satellite Industries have been supplying portable restrooms, vacuum trucks, handwash stations, deodorizers and more to construction sites and various other industries which have a the need for them. Just visit the website and you are sure to find something that will suit the scope, budget and the size of your next project. Full-time contractors should probably consider bigger facilities, as these are going to be a long-term investment for them.
Even if we set aside the legal and the immediate reasons why portable sanitation is a necessity, there is the question of common sense and general decency to consider, of course.
