How many toilets does a site need?
OSHA 29 CFR 1926.51 sets the minimum: one toilet for a crew of 20 or fewer, with more as the headcount grows under the standard's table. The site manager confirms what the job requires. Add margin for peak days and for hot weather, when use goes up.
Count everyone, including subcontractors, delivery drivers who stay and inspectors on the busiest day. A framing crew of 15 may need one unit. A crew of 45 on the same site on the day of a concrete pour needs more than one.
The construction requirements guide goes through the rules with examples. The provider can tell you the number of units a headcount usually calls for.
Document the count. A one-line note in the site diary stating the peak crew and the number of units on the day is useful if an inspector, an owner or a lender asks about sanitation. It also reminds the manager to revisit the number when the crew changes.
Where should the units stand?
Near the site entrance, on firm ground, clear of the active work and where a service truck can reach them. Avoid the lowest part of the lot, where rain collects. Move them as the job moves, but only through the provider.
Dallas County clay holds water. A unit on a low patch of a graded lot can stand in mud after a storm, and a truck cannot reach it. Ask the grading crew where water will run before choosing the spot.
Keep the units out of the way of cranes and trucks. Put a barricade or cones on the approach side if traffic is heavy.
Subcontractors sometimes bring their own units. If that happens, tell your provider, and make sure the total on site matches the headcount. Having too many is rarely a problem. Too few is the issue, and it is cheaper to fix with a call than with a stop-work conversation.
- Near the site entrance
- Firm, level ground
- Away from active work
- Reachable by the service truck
How often should units be serviced?
The schedule is set in the written quote. A crew of a few workers may need a weekly visit. A crowded site or one in hot weather needs more. Agree the visits before delivery and ask the provider what it does if you need an extra one.
Heat raises use. Press reports put an ordinary year at roughly 20 days of 100 F or hotter at DFW Airport, and workers drink more on those days. A site that was fine in March can need more in August.
Texas regulates the hauling of portable-toilet waste, and the provider handles that under those rules. You do not empty a unit, and you should not allow anyone else to.
Keep a servicing log on the board in the site office. Date, time and the name of the driver take a minute to record and give you a record of what was done. If a unit smells or is full on a day it should have been serviced, the log shows it.
What should the site manager keep?
Keep the quote, the delivery date, the service schedule and the provider's contact. If the site is inspected, show the toilets, the handwash station and the service plan. Do not claim the units meet OSHA on your own authority.
Write down the headcount on peak days. If the crew grows, call the provider and ask for more units in writing.
Keep the area around the units tidy. Litter and mud make the unit harder to use and harder to service.
At the end of the job, tell the provider the last day the crew will use the units and ask for the pickup in writing. Units left on a finished site are still on rental, and they attract complaints from the owner and the neighbors.
