Portable Hand-Wash Station Rental

What is a portable hand-wash station?

It is a self-contained sink that needs no plumbing and no power. A fresh-water tank feeds a spout, usually worked by a foot pump so nobody touches a handle with dirty hands. Used water drains into a separate sealed tank inside the base. Soap and paper towel dispensers are built in.

Our stations are the Satellite Tag 4. These are the manufacturer's published figures (Satellite Industries):

Why pair a hand-wash station with our portable toilets?

Our portable toilets do not have hand sanitizer dispensers. On a service visit we restock the toilet paper in the toilet, and the water, soap and paper towels are in the station. If you order toilets alone, there is nowhere on site for people to clean their hands.

Three reasons to add a station to every toilet order:

1. It is the only hand cleaning on site. With no sanitizer in the toilets, the station is where hands get washed.
2. Soap and water work better. The CDC says washing with soap and water is the best way to get rid of germs in most situations. The details are further down this page.
3. Job sites usually need one anyway. With five or more workers, Cal/OSHA requires a washing station outside the toilet.

One two-sided station with a 22-gallon fresh water tank beside each group of toilets is the usual starting point.

When is a hand-wash station required on a job site?

Almost always, if the site uses portable toilets. Cal/OSHA's construction rule on washing facilities says (Title 8 §1527):

• One washing station for every 20 employees or fraction of 20. Twenty-one workers means two stations.
• Outside the toilet. When the toilet is a portable (non-water-carriage) unit, the washing station must be "located outside of the toilet facility and not attached to it."
• One exception. Where there are fewer than five employees and only one toilet, the washing facility may be inside the unit.
• Stocked at all times. Each station needs enough water for effective washing, soap or another cleansing agent, and single-use towels or a warm-air blower.
• Signed. The station needs a sign or notice that the water is for washing.
• Close by. It must be placed so that any time a toilet is used, the user can readily wash.

Where workers apply paints or coatings or handle other harmful substances, the rule calls for washing facilities near the work itself, not only by the toilets.

The full rule is explained in our Cal/OSHA porta potty guide. Trade-specific advice is under construction porta potty rental.

What about farms and vineyards?

Field crews are covered by a different rule, California's field sanitation standard (Title 8 §3457). It requires:

• One hand-washing facility for every 20 employees or fraction of 20.
• Potable water, soap and single-use towels, with a sign that the water is for hand washing only.
• A hand-washing water tank of at least 15 gallons.
• Placement at the toilet or in its immediate vicinity, with both within a quarter-mile walk or five minutes of the workers, whichever is shorter.

The field rule also requires written service and maintenance records to be kept for two years.

When do events need hand-wash stations?

Events with food. In Riverside County, food booths at public events are permitted by the Department of Environmental Health. Its temporary food facility checklist calls for restrooms within 200 feet of food booths, with hand washing (Riverside County DEH checklist).

Two separate needs get confused here:

1. Guest and restroom hand washing. This is what our stations are for. The event organizer normally provides it. The county's community event organizer application asks the organizer for a map showing restrooms and hand-washing stations (Riverside County DEH organizer application).
2. Hand washing inside each food booth. Each food vendor must have its own set-up in the booth, with specific county requirements for warm water, pump soap, paper towels and a catch basin. The county states that gloves or hand sanitizer are not approved replacements for hand washing (Riverside County DEH operator's agreement). Ask Environmental Health whether a rented station can serve a booth before you rely on one for that.

Events without food. No statewide rule sets a number, but any group of portable toilets should have hand washing next to it. City event applications often ask for it on the site plan. See the permit guide.

Animal areas. Petting zoos, pony rides and livestock shows need a station at the exit.

Is hand sanitizer as good as washing with soap and water?

No. The CDC says washing hands with soap and water is the best way to get rid of germs in most situations, and that sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol is for when soap and water are unavailable (CDC, Hand Sanitizer Guidelines and Recommendations).

The CDC also notes that hand sanitizers:

• May not be as effective when hands are visibly dirty or greasy, which describes most hands on a job site or at a food event.
• Might not remove harmful chemicals such as pesticides and heavy metals such as lead.
• Are less effective than soap and water against certain germs, including norovirus.

Our portable toilets do not have hand sanitizer dispensers, and sanitizer would not be a substitute in any case. Pair each group of toilets with a hand-wash station so people can wash with soap and water. On a job site sanitizer does not satisfy Cal/OSHA, which requires water, soap and towels.

How many hand-wash stations does an event need?

We found no official ratio of stations to guests for events in Riverside County. Use these as a starting point and adjust for your site plan:

Tell us the guest count, hours and layout and we will suggest a number. For toilet counts, use the porta potty calculator. Event-specific advice is under event porta potty rental.

How are stations serviced and refilled?

On 28-day rentals the station is serviced on the same weekly visit as your toilets. The driver:

1. Pumps out the grey-water tank.
2. Refills the fresh-water tank.
3. Refills soap and restocks paper towels.
4. Wipes down the station and checks that it is working.

A station on a busy site can run dry before service day, especially in summer or where crews wash off concrete, paint or soil. An empty station does not meet the Cal/OSHA requirement for adequate water. If yours runs low, call us for an extra visit. Extra service visits are quoted when you call.

For multi-day events we refill between days along with the toilet service.

Where should a station go next to the toilets?

• Within a few steps of the toilet doors, in view as people walk out.
• On firm, level ground so the station sits steady and drains properly.
• Outside the unit and not attached to it on construction sites.
• On the same firm surface as any ADA-accessible unit.

A common order is one construction toilet plus one hand-wash station for a crew of 5 to 20. See standard and construction units for the toilets.

What does a hand-wash station cost?

Hand-wash station pricing is quoted when you call. Job site rentals bill in 28-day periods, and shorter rentals are available for special events.

Weekly service is included on 28-day rentals. A delivery and pickup fee applies, and a station delivered with toilets rides on the same trip. No fuel or environmental surcharges. See pricing.

Hand-wash station FAQ

Can I rent a hand-wash station without a toilet? Yes. Stations are rented on their own for food events, school gardens, farm stands and sites that already have toilets.

Is the water safe to drink? No. Treat it as washing water only. Job site stations must be signed that way.

Does my crew of three need a separate station? With fewer than five employees and one toilet, Cal/OSHA allows the washing facility to be inside the toilet unit. You still need water, soap and towels, not sanitizer alone. Our toilets do not have hand sanitizer dispensers either, so adding a separate station is the simple way to comply.

Do you deliver stations on weekends? Yes. We are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week, with same-day and next-day delivery.

Where do you deliver? Across the Temecula Valley and western and central Riverside County. Cities are listed under porta potty rental.

Add hand-wash stations to your order

Call (951) 517-3600 or send the form below with the address, dates and crew size or guest count. We will tell you how many stations the rules call for and give you a full price.