It doesn’t matter if you’re renting porta potties for a one-day event or you have them on your construction site long term; porta potties can definitely tip over. Now, this might sound like a living nightmare to most people, so taking proper steps to prevent porta potty tip overs should be something to consider.
Common Causes of Tip Overs
Before we go over preventing porta potty tip overs, we might first want to emphasize the biggest causes of tip overs. Once you know how they happen, you can take the necessary steps to make sure they don’t happen to you.
The major cause of most porta potty tip overs is the wind. Even though porta potties are pretty heavy, they can be tipped over by the right gust of wind. This is even more common if the restroom has recently been serviced.
The other common cause of tip overs is vandalism. This usually involves people going to your job site, park or event and purposefully tipping over your porta potties for a quick laugh. These types of tip overs are a little harder to prevent, but there are ways to prevent vandalism to your porta potties.
Place on Level Ground
The first thing to do is to place your porta potty on level ground, to begin with. Not only will this make the restroom easier to use, it will make it more stable. When you’re deciding where the porta potties should go, a flat paved surface is usually your best bet. It might cost you extra to have your restroom provider come out and move your porta potty if the initial location doesn’t work, so getting it right the first time is your best option.
Put Against a Building or Structure
Just like the three little pigs, a brick building can’t easily be blown down. Using stationary buildings or structures for support can be a great way to prevent porta potty tip overs. Not only will the building shield your porta potty from the wind, it will also help prop the restroom up if a big gust comes along. Just make sure that the building is also close enough to a road or path so the porta potty service technician can easily drive up to service or retrieve the restrooms.
Build a Wooden Enclosure
This tip is more for seasonal porta potty rentals such as parks, golf courses, and municipalities. I’m sure you’ve seen porta potties around that have wooden enclosures around them. These enclosures do many things such as prevent theft, destruction, and above all, tip overs.
Wooden enclosures can protect your porta potty from the wind in three directions, giving you maximum protection. They also simply keep a porta potty in place. From an aesthetic perspective, enclosures also help your restrooms blend in more with your surroundings. All together, they’re a win-win for seasonal porta potty rentals.
Stake Down Your Porta Potties
Staking down porta potties is a great way to prevent them from tipping over. However, there are right ways to stake down porta potties and wrong ways. The main concern with staking down porta potties is OSHA regulations.
When we talk about OSHA regulations, we’re mostly talking about tripping hazards. I have seen some pretty “creative” ways people have staked down their porta potties, and a lot of them can create dangerous situations for workers.
When staking down your porta potties, speak with your restroom provider about the best way to do so. Most will have specially designed stakes that fit over the skids of the porta potty. These stakes kind of look like a staple and successfully prevent your porta potty from tipping over.
Placing Your Porta Potties in Long Rows
You’ve probably gone to a concert or event and seen long rows of porta potties. These restrooms are usually placed in this fashion to make it easier to use the facilities, but it also helps prevent them from tipping over. By placing your restrooms in large rows, they’re less likely to tip over on their sides.
Dealing with a porta potty tip over could be a headache, so take these steps to help prevent them from happening. Make sure to contact your porta potty provider for any more information that you need.
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