Portable Sanitation Association International

ASSOCIATIONINSIGHT Portable Sanitation Association International News BIWEEKLY EDITION APRIL 28, 2021 Page 3 Continued on page 4 Tip Overs: Suggestions for Prevention and Clean Up…continued from page 1 For example: • Some companies give the customer responsibility for securing the units. They explain the responsibility at the time of placement, cover it in the rental agreement, and charge for damage if the units tip over. Operators may also give the customer a tip sheet for securing the units safely, and suggest tactics such as placing full buckets of water inside and latching the door when windy conditions are expected. Ceding responsibility to the customer is useful when the units are in an area where vandalism is likely. The downside is that your equipment, with your name on it, is in the hands of people who may not be as invested in treating it well as you are. • Other companies negotiate the cost, both in time and materials, of staking or tying down units when they negotiate the contract. This comes up most often when customers, such as big box stores and government entities, have requirements that the units be staked when they are placed. But it is not exclusive to these scenarios. Portable sanitation company leaders have their reasons for using this approach in a wide variety of circumstances. One owner summed up his philosophy by saying, "I don't want my customers touching my [units]s other than to do their business in them." Bottom line: When it comes to securing restrooms in high wind conditions, you can choose to offer the service of securing your restrooms or leave it up to the customer. Generally there are fewer tip overs, less damage to equipment, and an enhanced restroom experience if you secure the restrooms yourself. How Can You Secure Your Units? Everyone has their own favorite way of securing units from wind. The most popular are: • Staking the units in opposite corners using two-foot lengths of rebar. This is probably the most common way of securing units. Concrete stakes are also available at building or hardware stores. Some operators feel these stakes enhance the look of the staked unit and make the company seem more professional. • Staking with tie-down. Tying off with a strap or a rope over the top of the unit and staking it down with rebar or engineer stakes is another common method of securing units against wind. If there is fencing or another stationary object nearby, consider tying off the unit to the fence or object as an option. • Tying down with rope and blocks. When the ground is not amenable to staking, use rope over the top of the unit and tie it off with cinder blocks or some other weight. If winds are especially high and the ground is amenable to it, use fence posts on opposite corners of the unit to secure the unit, and then tie it off. Staking unit in opposite corners Staking unit with tie-down Tying down units with rope and blocks

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