Sanitation — Toilets, Water, Hygiene

Talking points

1. On a construction site, Table D-1 requires one toilet for 20 or fewer workers, then one toilet seat and one urinal for every 40 workers, or every 50 once the site reaches 200. Facilities must be maintained in a sanitary condition.
2. Potable drinking water must be provided and clearly labeled. Non-potable water (used for dust control, cleaning, etc.) must be labeled to prevent drinking.
3. The common drinking cup is prohibited, and where single-use cups are supplied you must provide a sanitary container for the unused cups and a receptacle for the used ones. Shared cups or bottles spread illness.
4. Handwashing facilities must be available with running water (hot and cold, or tepid), hand soap and individual towels, unless it is a mobile crew or an unattended work location with transportation readily available to nearby washing facilities. Sanitizer does not take the place of the soap and running water the standard requires, so wash with soap and water, especially before eating and after using the restroom.
5. Where lead is in the air above the exposure limit, washing hands and face before eating, drinking, or smoking is a legal requirement — and on any site with silica or chemical exposure, it is the habit that keeps the dose out of your lunch.

Ask the crew

Are our portable toilets clean and adequately stocked — and do we have enough for the number of workers on site?

Standards this talk is built on

• 29 CFR 1926.51
• 29 CFR 1910.141

A toolbox talk is a short safety briefing. It supports the training a standard requires; it does not replace it.

Sign-in sheet

Print this page to collect signatures, or run the talk in Jobsite and workers sign in on their phones.

© Jobsite. Free to read aloud, print and use in your own crew's safety meetings. Republishing, reselling or bulk-copying these talks is not permitted.