# Port a potty at construction sites? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 18, 2017, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/port-a-potty-at-construction-sites/782490 "2017-03-18T16:59:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![FluffyBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecb155/32.png) [@FluffyBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FluffyBob)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2017, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/port-a-potty-at-construction-sites/782490/21 "2017-03-20T01:29:21Z")
Actual construction guy here. A jobsite porta pottie costs $200 -300 a month here in Alberta. That includes weekly servicing. I doubt it is much more expensive anywhere else. That’s cheap compared to man hours lost going offsite or unhappy contractors. Big developers building track houses in the suburbs are often cheap and put maybe one per block. Sometimes there are nasty consequences that someone has to clean up. Big builder developments are among the worst paying and working environments anyway and once you are good you do not work for them. I do not think any municipality is going to accept a situation where sanitation is not properly provided for. A few guys taking a leak out back is one thing, multiple crews working in a area with out proper facilities is a health hazard. ---
**Author:** ![Svejk\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea666f/32.png) [@Svejk\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Svejk_1)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2017, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/port-a-potty-at-construction-sites/782490/22 "2017-03-20T02:14:15Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#): > > I can’t imagine any US state where this would not violate local state employment laws, in addition to Federal ones. The Federal OSHA regulations are rather vague (“Employers may not impose unreasonable restrictions…”), but many state laws have more detailed laws, giving specific time limits. > > So why was that beyond your control? > You should have been able to demand that they provide reasonable bathroom breaks, and report them to both OSHA & your state authorities. (And to McDonalds corporate office.) Like any concerned father would have done. > > And if you didn’t know about it until later, you could still have filed suit against them for the medical problems this caused her, and the pain & suffering involved. A jury would have likely been sympathetic. Especially if your lawyer objected every time the judge allowed a bathroom break for the jury. Don’t fight the hypothetical. ---
**Author:** ![hermann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b487fb/32.png) [@hermann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hermann)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2017, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/port-a-potty-at-construction-sites/782490/23 "2017-03-20T02:44:21Z")
> [@watchwolf49](#): > > I’m sure three people for a couple days is no issue … but thirty people over a year … all that pee is going to stink really bad … nevermind what comes out of the typical construction worker’s exit hole … > > If we didn’t lock the damn things up at night … homeless people would move in … What makes you think construction worker’s shit stinks any worse than anybody else’s? ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2017, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/port-a-potty-at-construction-sites/782490/24 "2017-03-20T15:21:21Z")
As a [burner](http://burningman.org/) I am quite familiar with portos, as we call them; there are a couple thousand of them in Black Rock City. For the [2015 burn](http://journal.burningman.org/2016/11/news/official-announcements/what-is-burning-man-doing-as-a-nonprofit-latest-annual-report-now-available/), the latest report available, [$1,137,839](http://z9hbb3mwou383x1930ve0ugl.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/BMP-2015-Form-990-Public.pdf) was spent for them (page 9, United Site Services). It’s kind of a big deal. The banks in the city proper, where everybody sleeps, are serviced twice a day, the ones by the playa art and other outlying areas less often. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2017, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/port-a-potty-at-construction-sites/782490/25 "2017-03-20T15:53:51Z")
> [@Common\_Tater](#): > > Porta-Potties are outrageously expensive, not to say lucrative but there’s some serious coin involved. “[Pecunia non olet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pecunia_non_olet).” – Vespasian ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2017, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/port-a-potty-at-construction-sites/782490/26 "2017-03-20T16:13:04Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > Local church is building a big expansion but I did not see a port a potty there. Maybe I overlooked it. I worked on the crew for the expansion at my church. No portable toilets because the main crew was just church members. The main contractors were a group of other Lutherans who spent their summers living in RVs and being contractors on Lutheran church building projects. We of course had subs for a lot of the big stuff but they were in and out quickly enough to not warrant their own bathrooms. And, they could use the church bathrooms, and quickly enough could use the new bathrooms in the expansion. Anyway, I’d venture to say that not every project requires a portable toilet. Especially not an expansion, where it’s cheaper to let the crew use your existing toilets and have your janitor clean them every night than it is to hire a porta-john. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2017, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/port-a-potty-at-construction-sites/782490/27 "2017-03-20T16:16:37Z")
> [@hermann](#): > > What makes you think construction worker’s shit stinks any worse than anybody else’s? Nothing … absolutely nothing at all … does crap by any other name smell as sweet … ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2017, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/port-a-potty-at-construction-sites/782490/28 "2017-03-20T16:35:53Z")
> [@Common\_Tater](#): > > They are a couple hundred bucks _a day_, and this was several years ago. > [@FluffyBob](#): > > Actual construction guy here. A jobsite porta pottie costs $200 -300 a month here in Alberta. That includes weekly servicing. I doubt it is much more expensive anywhere else. It’s similar here - monthly rental is [$175-400](http://www.costowl.com/rental/rental-portable-toilets.html) in the States. **Common Tater** is correct that a one-day rental can be a few hundred dollars, but you can’t extrapolate that to your typical construction job site. Most of the cost is delivery and pickup. Delivery costs to the Black Rock Desert are obviously going to be a lot more than to a local construction site, so you can’t really compare the Burning Man expenses. ---
**Author:** ![davida03801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5e925/32.png) [@davida03801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davida03801)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2017, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/port-a-potty-at-construction-sites/782490/29 "2017-03-20T16:44:03Z")
$175 to $400 include all area’s of the US. Renting one in NYC I can easily see on the high side, renting one in rural area’s on the low side. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2017, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/port-a-potty-at-construction-sites/782490/30 "2017-03-20T23:22:45Z")
> [@hermann](#): > > What makes you think construction worker’s shit stinks any worse than anybody else’s? [Not only does it smell worse…but they’re probably masturbating in there!!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=324485) :eek: :eek: :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2017, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/port-a-potty-at-construction-sites/782490/31 "2017-03-20T23:30:05Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > [Not only does it smell worse…but they’re probably masturbating in there!!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=324485) :eek: :eek: :eek: The worst are the jackhammer guys. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2017, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/port-a-potty-at-construction-sites/782490/32 "2017-03-22T20:02:03Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > Delivery costs to the Black Rock Desert are obviously going to be a lot more than to a local construction site, so you can’t really compare the Burning Man expenses. True that; it’s about 120 road miles to Reno, which I assume is where they are coming from. OTOH, there are a couple thousand of them so they can be transported in bulk as opposed to the one or two more typically needed. I’ve seen porto trucks with two strapped to the back and a large tank of blue stuff to fill them once they’re on the ground. Finally, on the gripping hand, the twice-daily servicing most of them need far exceeds the weekly service others have mentioned on construction sites. All in all it comes to about $20 per head (heh) for the participants. ---
**Author:** ![BuckChongo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@BuckChongo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BuckChongo)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2017, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/port-a-potty-at-construction-sites/782490/33 "2017-03-23T00:43:19Z")
Hell in a very small place, apologies to B.F. of course. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2017, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/port-a-potty-at-construction-sites/782490/34 "2017-03-23T13:36:35Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > The equivalent of a car service place putting paper mats on the floor and a plastic cover on the driver’s seat. I thought that was to stop the mechanic getting his trousers dirty. (Yes I ought to clean my car out more often…) ---
**Author:** ![JKilez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e5b9ba/32.png) [@JKilez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKilez)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2017, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/port-a-potty-at-construction-sites/782490/35 "2017-03-25T02:41:36Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > I asked them why they kept it locked, and they said, “If we don’t, the mailman will use it.” Perplexing on many levels. I am kind of surprised that **running coach** gave the reply that he did, because as an early morning distance runner, I can assure you that plenty of construction zone porta-potties are left open (at least in suburbia). Sadly, I need to plan routes with that accommodation in mind. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2017, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/port-a-potty-at-construction-sites/782490/36 "2017-03-26T13:33:52Z")
church construction I mentioned above does have a potty, guess I missed it when I looked first time. Also there is construction nearby on both sides of a road and they put potties on both sides of the road. It’s not a big site but I guess it’s big enough for 2 potties. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2017, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/port-a-potty-at-construction-sites/782490/37 "2017-03-26T15:17:44Z")
I’ve noticed in my state, Missouri, when the DoT has crews working along the hi-way they have a portable toilet on a small trailer behind their work truck. Two guys fixing a loose sign? A big truck with tools and a small trailer behind with a toilet. I didn’t see a wash up station though. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2017, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/port-a-potty-at-construction-sites/782490/38 "2017-03-26T16:29:13Z")
I’ve seen the DOT prisoner work crews with a potty on a trailer here in NC [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/port-a-potty-at-construction-sites/782490.md?page=1)