Whether you are hosting an outdoor event or arranging a construction event, it is crucial to have an adequate number of portable restrooms. This often overlooked aspect of event planning can make or break an event based on the human need to relieve themselves during these times. Not to worry, with the right plan, it is easy to determine how many porta potties per person you need. Not having the correct number of portable restrooms to support a gathering of people will result in unhappy and uncomfortable patrons.
However, having too many portable restrooms may result in exceeding an allotted budget. This makes the ability to determine the correct number of portable toilets crucial, not only keeping the people happy but the funding in place as well. Conversely, too few portable restrooms mean there will be long lines that create smelly and generally displeasing environments.
How Many Porta Potties Do I Need for an Event?
When scheduling a large outdoor event, event coordinators must face a vast number of factors as they work to accommodate all patrons, such as seating, food, entertainment, alcohol, serving, cleaning, and so on. With all these considerations, it is no surprise they sometimes miss the need for adequate restrooms. However, this section of event planning deserves as much attention as any other.
For those who may disagree with the importance of providing clean and available restrooms for an outdoor event, good luck with your next outdoor engagement! Few things trigger a crowd more so than no ability to relieve themselves in private. Not providing patrons with this essential service can turn any fun event into an uncomfortable and short-lived occasion.
Now that we have discussed the importance of providing porta potties for an outdoor event, how many do these occasions require? Thankfully, portable restroom companies have a great chart to determine the number of porta potties that best accommodate a specific number of patrons. Using this chart is vital for event organizers when ordering the portable restrooms for their event.
While the specifics vary, the recommendation for the number of porta potties for an event is one unit per fifty patrons for an event that lasts one hour. However, the longer the event, the more porta-potties the occasion requires. For example, an event with fifty people that lasts five hours requires two porta potties to sufficiently support the needs of those who attend these events.
Does Alcohol Change the Number of Porta Potties Required at an Event?
While the previous chart is an excellent resource to determine how many portable toilets an event requires, the porta-potty size, and the porta-potty capacity, it does not consider the presence of alcohol at the outdoor event. Consuming alcohol is a popular pastime for many outdoor events. However, having alcohol present at an event demands adjusting the number of portable toilets required to accommodate all patrons.
Experts in the industry suggest adjusting your portable toilet number by ten or twenty percent for events serving alcohol. Having more units available for patrons means there will be fewer lines for people waiting on these facilities. It will also reduce the likelihood of unsanitary conditions and people choosing to relieve themselves in areas outside these facilities.
Related: How Do Porta-Potties Work?
Meeting Requirements for the Americans With Disabilities Act
When organizing an outdoor event, it is essential to know the requirements set by the Americans With Disabilities Act to provide access to restrooms for persons with handicaps. This vulnerable population already faces so many obstacles in their daily lives, so it is crucial to provide safe access to portable restrooms when organizing outdoor events.
This act requires one handicapped-accessible portable restroom per twenty portable restrooms or five percent. The act also requires clear, unimpeded access to the portable restroom free from curbs, steps, or other obstacles. Further, the Americans With Disabilities Act states that all attendees for an event receive equal treatment, so if portable toilets are in an elevated trailer, the event must provide disability access, such as a ramp, to these elevated areas.
How Many Portable Toilets Do I Need For a Construction Site?
Another occasion that requires access to portable restrooms is construction sites. These workplaces consist of people constructing any number of projects while out in the elements. This means they have no access to indoor plumbing when the need arises. For those managing these sites, having an adequate number of portable toilets available for the workers is crucial to meeting their basic human needs.
The necessity for adequate access to portable toilets is reiterated by OSHA, as they have their own standards that demand a certain number of porta potties per construction site. While the primary recommendation is one portable toilet per ten workers, the OSHA standard is somewhat different. Their standards are as follows:
● One toilet for 1-20 workers
● One toilet and one urinal for every 40 workers for sites with 20-190 workers
● One toilet and one urinal for every 50 workers for sites with over 200 workers
While these numbers set by OSHA require adherence, there are additional factors to consider regarding the number of portable toilets for a construction site. For example, as more women enter the traditionally male-dominated construction industry, studies have found that women with no access to their own private facilities experience a greater incidence of workplace discomfort.
This discomfort comes from women feeling a lack of safety, privacy, and sanitary conditions when sharing portable toilets with men on construction sites. This is why there are separate OSHA requirements for providing appropriate and adequate access to clean, safe, and sanitary portable toilets to accommodate women on construction sites. You can find more information on OSHA requirements for construction sites with women present here.
Wilkinson Portables has the knowledge, experience, and inventory to provide high-quality portable toilets for any occasion. We have what you need for your next outdoor event, construction site, or other activity.
