The construction industry is constantly evolving, and one of the main focus areas is that of employee safety, sanitation, and comfort. Construction teams spend hours outside, facing the elements; therefore, they need access to shade, shelter, water, and of course, bathrooms. As a construction company, you are more than aware of the safety and health requirements for your workers as required by the Ministry of Labour within the Construction Health & Safety Act. However, are you familiar with the requirements of construction site toilets and how many you are required to have on-site?
A Few Guidelines to Consider with Construction Site Sanitation
When was the last time you read Regulation 213-91, Section 29? If you have not read it in a while, or even within the year, there may be a few critical changes to the hygiene requirements that you need to know.
To stay in compliance, here are some of the requirements for construction site sanitation:
Portable Sanitation on Construction Sites: Before work is scheduled to begin, your team must have a porta potty on the Hamilton construction site, and workers must have reasonable access throughout the project. Reasonable access means your portable bathrooms are 180-metres horizontally from the work area. You can stretch this to as much as three kilometres, but only if you have transportation to and from the facilities.
Variance Documentation: If for any reason you cannot place a portable bathroom within the required limits, you must document in writing where you placed them, and the reasons for doing so. Then, provide that report to the joint health and safety committee and your workers.
Sanitary Bathrooms Required: In addition to providing facilities, you must also ensure that they are regularly serviced, cleaned, and sanitized. As the general contractor, you must also keep a record of the cleaning and servicing.
The Ratio of Portable Bathrooms to Workers: Depending on how many workers you have on-site, you might need multiple bathrooms. Typically, one to 15 workers require one toilet. However, any number over 46 needs four or more toilets.
Aside from meeting regulation, by seeing to the comfort and convenience of your construction team, you can also help boost their productivity and performance. Providing your team with a portable bathroom is simple when you work with Pitton Portables. We have construction site units ready to deliver and help you meet the guidelines. We offer high-rise construction units as well as double self-contained trailers. All our portable bathrooms meet or exceed holding tank guidelines and chemical treatment requirements, and we also carry heated units when required for winter construction. Call us today at 1-800-499-4184 or contact us online to book a Hamilton portable bathroom unit and ensure your construction site sanitation is in compliance.