Porta Potty Forum
Log inAsk a question

High-rise site: what if service elevator is down on pump day?

Hector V.asked 0 viewsConstruction & Job SitesService visitHigh rise unitService frequencyMissed serviceConstruction

We have 40 guys on a high-rise job in Phoenix, 18 floors up. The GC put two standard units and one ADA-compliant unit in a service elevator lobby. They get pumped every Tuesday. Last week, the service elevator went down for half a day on pump day. The driver couldn't get up, so the units didn't get serviced. By Thursday, the crew was complaining about the smell and the paper was gone. The rental company billed us for the missed service visit. This is going to happen again. What's the standard procedure here? Do I need to put a clause in the rental contract for elevator outages? How do other supers handle this?

1 answer

Sorted by votes
0
Tyler R.Columbus, OH

Elevator access on pump day is the GC's problem to solve, so build it into the schedule instead of the contract fine print.

What worked for us on a tower job:

  1. Put the Tuesday service visit on the elevator booking sheet like any delivery, with a set window. If the car is down, whoever runs the hoist calls the rental office that morning so the driver doesn't burn the trip.
  2. Ask the rental company for a standing make-up visit within a day if access fails. Most will do it if you call before the truck leaves the yard, not after.
  3. Keep spare paper and a case of deodorizer charge in the gang box near the lobby so a skipped visit doesn't leave the crew with nothing by Thursday.
  4. Look at high-rise units built to be crane lifted. Some outfits swap full tanks out at ground level instead of pumping upstairs.

With 40 guys you're right at the OSHA 1926.51 Table D-1 line of 1 seat and 1 urinal per 40 workers, so you have no slack. One missed pump hits hard. Get it in writing who calls whom when the car is out.

Your answer

Log in or create a free account to answer this question.

Related questions