OSHA makes about 100,000 workplace inspections annually, and penalties typically range between zero dollars and millions, depending on non-compliance and case severity issues. While corrective measures occur in 20% of inspections, business owners should expect OSHA to visit unannounced after workplace fatalities, dangerous work conditions, or complaints from government agencies. If your company does not provide the proper sanitation, here is how your local health department ensures inspectors check for access to portable toilet rentals or portable hand wash sink rentals.
How Can Companies Ensure Access to Restrooms?
OSHA sets strict standards for companies, contractors, or food services. Even with their protocols, the CDC estimates that more than 1.35 million Americans get sick from salmonella annually. While most people recover easily after experiencing stomach aches, diarrhea, and fever, about 420 of these cases will result in death, so precautions must be taken to ensure everyone continues to be safe.
OSHA’s regulations for worker sanitation are detailed in 29 CFR 1910.141 (permanent businesses), 29 CFR 1926.51 (construction sites), and 29 CFR 1928.110 (field sanitation). Through these rules, OSHA’s standards want to ensure workers have direct and immediate access to bathroom facilities so that they and the people they work with and for do not suffer from any adverse health problems.
OSHA also mandates that employers provide a minimum number of bathrooms for both male and female employees. Per OSHA’s recommendations, the minimum number of toilets is one facility per twenty employees, one toilet seat and one urinal per every forty workers in areas with twenty-one and 199 workers, and one toilet and one urinal per every fifty workers with more than 200 workers.
Bathrooms must also be accessible, so an employer can’t simply get one unit for a large area and expect every worker to have direct access. They need to be placed proportionately at a worksite so that everyone can use a restroom and wash their hands. For these reasons, companies that have portable toilet rentals and portable hand wash sink rentals are better equipped to meet OSHA guidelines.
OSHA also requires employers to ensure workers receive enough break times to access the bathrooms, but other than minimum numbers, they do not mandate how much time each person must use it. If you have a lot of employees taking breaks at one time, you might find that you do not have enough units on-site to handle waiting times, which for time-sensitive worksites could cost you money.
Flush’s Portable Toilet Rentals & Portable Hand Wash Sink Rentals
Flush’s portable toilet rentals and portable hand wash sink rentals allow businesses more flexibility. As our units are affordable, your company can install multiple units in varying sizes so that workers are not standing in one line. For mobile or manual workers, being at workstations are important to operations, so employers can create policies for using worksite-friendly portable toilets and sinks.
For businesses in the Greater Boston and Southern New Hampshire areas that need to meet minimal OSHA standards, call our office at (978) 778-8000 to learn how we can help. You can also read more about workplace issues and Flush solutions by visiting us on Facebook and sending us a private message at https://www.facebook.com/flushservices. We’ll gladly get back to you right away.
