Portable Sanitation Association International

Association Insight April 14, 2021

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ASSOCIATIONINSIGHT Portable Sanitation Association International News BIWEEKLY EDITION APRIL 14, 2021 Page 3 GAP Expectations Change Due to COVID-19…continued from page 1 Continued on page 4 Portable sanitation companies report seeing their customers engage in more advance preparation for the picking season. They are not only giving sanitation extra attention when they prepare for their annual audit, a time of heightened scrutiny when someone inspects the site and certifies that this farm is following procedures, they are thinking ahead. Here are some specific areas where changes are happening: • The addition of hand sanitizer. Full hand washing has to be offered with the toilets but preventing the transmission of disease has meant extra measures are necessary. With COVID, there have been concerns about migrant workers traveling and the impact of that on transmission risk both to them and to the local community. Having hand sanitizer available at the location where the workers get off the bus in the fields is an increased item some portable sanitation companies provide in addition to hand washing stations. Be sure you can offer a hand sanitizer that meets the GAP standards. • Sinks must be visible. Farms need to be sure workers are washing their hands. So the sinks cannot be in a toilet or in a restroom trailer. There also has to be signage about sanitation and hand washing on the site. One sign that is absolutely required must state in English and Spanish that hand washing is required. A farm will lose points on their audit if they do not have that signage available. It's a reflection on the portable sanitation company if we don't provide the signs with the rest of our equipment set up. View samples of appropriate signs at https://gaps.cornell.edu/. • Record of service. To pass their audit or inspection, farms must be able to demonstrate to the inspector that there's a record of service showing how often the toilets have been cleaned and pumped since they have been in place. The date sticker inside a toilet can serve that purpose, and many inspectors accept that as proof. More inspectors are requiring an electronic copy of the service record as well. Portable sanitation companies with software that can generate such reports make their customers look good. This capability stands companies in good stead with inspectors too. • Adequate supply of paper towels and soap. Auditors are keen to make sure that all necessary supplies are available in the right quantities. An inspector uses his or her judgment to determine what constitutes an "adequate supply." Auditors aren't merely looking for whether there's toilet paper in the toilet or paper towels in the sinks at the time of the inspection. The inspector wants to see that the on site lead has a supply of those materials to ensure the units can be supplied properly and not run out between services. Because of this, some portable sanitation companies leave a small box that has toilet paper and paper towels with the customer to refill the units as needed. That generally makes the customer look good and satisfies the inspector. GAP-compliant signage for farms.

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