Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/994700
W EEKLY EDITION JUNE 20, 2018 Transporting Units Containing Waste …continued The following article is an excerpt from the 2018 PSAI Industry Resource Directory. It has been reprinted this week for your benefit. P AGE 9 CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 If you Google the phrase "porta potty truck spill" you will !nd numerous other incidents in which an accident of some sort—unfortunate, dangerous, and expensive—led to smelly messes, backed up traf!c, and hazmat situations because the units being transported contained human waste, pre!ll, or both. Based on the news coverage, the public makes little distinction between spills involving only pre-!ll and those involving waste. No portable restroom operator wants to be known as "the guys who spilled [excrement] on the highway." Yet every time a truck enters a roadway with any sort of liquid in them, there is a risk of being the next story on the news. Industry standards and state laws say "no." Since the early 1990s at least, the PSAI has had a standard that reads, "Portable restroom units must be emptied before they are picked up and returned to the company lot." This standard also applies to portable restroom trailers, and it exists for three main reasons: • Most states have laws requiring that waste only be transported in sealed containers, waste tanks, or vehicles licensed for this purpose. Portable units cannot be sealed to meet the requirements of these laws. • A unit containing waste is very heavy. This presents numerous hazards to the personnel loading and unloading it and increases the risk of spills. • Units containing waste create an unstable load, leading to surge, slosh, and other safety issues while driving Is it ever okay to move units containing waste? On a highway, no it isn't ever okay. Some operators do it, but it is not consistent with the long-standing standard and it is usually against the law. We do realize that in the real world there are times when units have to be moved from point A to point B on a site, and for whatever reason it isn't feasible to pump them !rst. Let's be clear though: "it isn't feasible" is not the same thing as "it isn't convenient" or "it isn't pro!table." Moving wet units should always be the drop- dead last resort because there is virtually no way to completely eliminate the possibility of a spill. 135 2018 INDUSTRY RESOURCE DIRECTORY Transporting Units Containing Waste Assuming there is no spill, what's the big deal? Moving units with waste already in them stirs up the waste in the tank and creates a very unpleasant odor for everyone around. You aren't going to move a wet unit without it being noticed, and noticed unfavorably. If your company prides itself on delivering a pleasant user experience—and we hope you do—then moving a unit with waste in it will almost certainly undermine your company's business strategy. If you are determined to move a wet unit on a site it should occur with the tanks sealed and with every possible precaution taken to avoid spills. As far as the PSAI of!ce is aware, nobody sells a product with which to fully and reliably seal the tanks on a portable toilet (because moving wet units is such a bad idea). Hence, the seals are typically improvised by the operating company using some sort of barrier made of plastic, wood, or other material. The technician needs to clean up spilled waste immediately and thoroughly using your company's spill protocol. There is nothing that will ruin the reputation of your organization and harm the portable sanitation industry