Porta Potty Forum

Portable urinal vs standard unit for a men's-only work crew.

Marcus B.asked 0 viewsUnit Types & FeaturesUrinalStandard unitUnits per personCrew sizeService frequency

I have a 40-person framing crew, all men, on a residential addition that will run six weeks. The crew is on site from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and I'm seeing a line at the single standard unit at morning break. It's on level ground with easy truck access. I want to cut down wait times without adding another full toilet.

I'm considering adding a portable urinal next to the standard unit. The urinal would take up less space and, in theory, handle the quick visits, leaving the full unit for the rest. But I'm not sure if it's worth the extra monthly rental. Does a urinal actually reduce the load on a standard unit enough to matter? What's the real-world experience with a men's crew and a urinal-station combo?

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Brad L.Kansas City, MO

A portable urinal next to your standard unit does cut morning lines for an all-male framing crew. Most of those break rushes are quick stops, and a urinal station handles them without tying up the full toilet.

On a construction site, OSHA 29 CFR 1926.51 Table D-1 also lines up with the combo when you have 20 or more workers: one toilet seat and one urinal per 40 workers. For a 40-person crew that means you already need both, not just a single standard unit. A lone standard unit covers the toilet seat for smaller crews, but it does not give you the urinal side of the table once you cross 20 people.

In practice the urinal takes the pressure off mid-morning and after lunch. Keep the standard unit for anything that needs a seat, and put the urinal right beside it so the truck can service both on the same stop. Weekly service is usually enough if both tanks stay within normal fill, but bump service if the urinal tank climbs fast in hot weather.

Worth it for a six-week framing job with that crew size. You are not buying a second full toilet. You are matching how the crew actually uses the pad.

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