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OSHA rule for a 50-person crew on a 10-story building?

Hector V.asked 1 viewConstruction & Job SitesOsha 1926 51Units per person guidelineHigh rise unitOsha ratiosHigh rise units

OSHA 1926.51(c) requires at least two standard portable toilets for a 50-person construction crew. The standard mandates one toilet seat and one urinal per 40 workers, so for 50 workers, you need two units. Add an ADA-compliant portable toilet to comply with the ADA cluster rule since multiple units are clustered on-site.

High-rise placement matters. For a 10-story building, you must place units on multiple floors or use a high-rise unit designed for crane lifts. Standard units go on completed floors with level ground, while high-rise units have reinforced frames for hoisting. Ensure truck access for weekly service; if the vacuum truck cannot reach, plan for manual servicing or temporary relocation.

Service frequency is weekly for standard use, but high heat or heavy use may require more. Use a formaldehyde-free deodorizer to meet waste disposal regulations. Include a handwash station with soap and water, as OSHA requires handwashing facilities near toilets.

For long-term sites like yours, consider a restroom trailer for better comfort, but it needs level ground, power, and water hookups. Staking units prevents tipping in wind. What's your site's ground condition and access? Any questions on winterization or vandalism?

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Brad L.Kansas City, MO

Two standard units with urinals covers a 50-person crew under OSHA 1926.51 Table D-1. The table says 20 or more workers get one toilet seat and one urinal per 40, so 50 rounds up to two seats and two urinals. Each standard unit with a built-in urinal counts as one of each.

Couple things in the post I'd push back on though.

The ADA part doesn't apply here. The 2010 ADA Standards, section 203.2, exempt portable toilets used only by construction personnel on a construction site. The ADA cluster rule is for units the public uses, like events and parks. Some GCs add one anyway for a guy on light duty or a visiting inspector, but code isn't what's driving it.

Height isn't in the table either. Nothing in 1926.51 says units per floor. The real problem is the guy on 9 making a long trip down to grade, and that's when you start finding bottles in the stairwell. On the last mid-rise I framed we kept the two at grade and had a high-rise unit craned up once the upper decks were poured. The service crew pumped it right on the deck.

Washing is its own paragraph, 1926.51(f), so a handwash station doesn't count toward the toilet number.

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