Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/954030
50 2018 INDUSTRY RESOURCE DIRECTORY • Toilet and hand washing facilities must be in proximity to one another and within .25 miles of the laborers in the field • Toilet facilities must be operational and maintained in a clean and sanitary condition • Hand washing facilities must be refilled with potable water OSHA's Definition of Sanitary OSHA standards require that portable restrooms be "sanitary" None of the standards actually defines the term "sanitary" within the text itself. To get a sense of what OSHA means by the term "sanitary," we have to dig a little deeper. In a guidance letter from 2006, OSHA answers a related question. In that instance, an OSHA administrator with expertise in construction explained that a restroom on a construction site that is not sanitary is not considered "available" and therefore cannot be counted toward the OSHA-required minimums. Within the letter, OSHA references the PSAI's ANSI-compliant standard Z4.3-1995 and noted: "Under…the OSHA standard, if there were 20 employees, the employer would need to provide at least one toilet. Applying the ANSI [Z4.3] servicing schedule to a situation where one toilet has been provided for 20 employees, an employer that had the toilet serviced twice per week would likely be providing a toilet in a sanitary condition. Similarly, a toilet for 10 employees, if serviced once per week, would likely be provided in a sanitary condition." Similarly, in 2003 when the Department of Labor issued its final standards for sanitary toilets in coal mines, the accompanying supplementary information again referenced ANSI Z4.3-1995. As you may infer from the document number, ANSI Z4.3-1995 is the 1995 version of the standard. It also does not specifically define the term "sanitary," but does state the following: "It shall be the responsibility of the employer to insure [sic] that all toilet rooms and facilities are maintained in a clean and sanitary condition. If toilet facilities are of the type that require periodic service, it shall be the responsibility of the employer to provide sufficient toilet facilities and servicing to prevent the stated capacity of those facilities from being exceeded; the employer shall also assure the ready access to the toilet facilities by the required servicing equipment." Where can I get more information or provide input on the OSHA standards concerning portable sanitation? Review the OSHA website at www.osha.gov. Copies of the OSHA standards and the plans specific to each state can also be downloaded there. OSHA