PortaPottyBossPro Blog — Construction Site Accounts

Hand Wash Stations on Construction Job Sites: Booking, Servicing and Billing Them

The Unit Nobody Thinks About Until It Runs Dry

Hand wash stations are easy to forget. Contractors ask for them, crews use them, and when the water runs out or the soap is gone, the super hears about it before you do. They sit next to the toilets but need different service: water, soap, paper towels and emptying the gray water.

If you have tall projects like the ones in High-Rise and Crane Porta Potty Units: Scheduling Lifts on Tall Construction Projects, you already know the value of recording each unit type on its own. Hand wash stations deserve the same treatment, because they are a separate service and often a separate line on the bill.

Record Them as Their Own Unit Type

In PortaPottyBossPro, Hand Wash Station is a unit type of its own, alongside Standard, Deluxe Flushing, ADA Accessible, High-Rise / Crane and Restroom Trailer. When a hand wash station goes out, record it on the delivery with its quantity, unit numbers and placement notes.

That one step does three things. The driver's phone shows that the site has a hand wash station, so it gets serviced. The office lists show it under the address, so dispatch knows the stop takes a little longer. And the invoice shows it as its own line, so the contractor sees what they are paying for.

Where to Put Them

Placement for hand wash stations is about the crew's habits. Most supers want them right beside the toilets, or near the break area or site trailer where crews eat. A note like "Hand wash next to the two standards by the trailer, facing the walkway" keeps the driver from dropping it by itself on the far side of the lot.

Watch for ground conditions. A hand wash station on soft ground near a trench can tip, and one set on a slope can drain poorly. If the super has a spot in mind, write it down; if not, have the driver choose a level spot near the units and take a photo so the next driver puts it back in the same place after service.

Servicing Them on the Same Stop

Most companies service hand wash stations on the same visit as the toilets at that site. Because the station is listed on the job with the rest of the units, the driver sees it on every stop and does not have to remember it. The weekly service comes due on its own based on the minimum days between visits.

On busy sites, a hand wash station can run out of water before the toilets need service. If the super reports that, an extra service visit goes on the Waiting List like any other job. If it keeps happening, consider a second station or more frequent service and quote it. Extra Pump-Outs on Busy Construction Sites: Fitting Them Into the Week covers fitting extra visits into the week.

When Contractors Add Hand Wash Stations

Contractors often add hand wash stations partway through a project, when interior trades arrive or when the super asks for better facilities for a larger crew. Add them on a new delivery on the same site, with their own delivered date. Rental tracking counts their days from that date, separate from the units already on site.

If the addition comes with a change in price, send a quote from your service list. The contractor approves it online, and the approved estimate becomes scheduled services. That keeps the agreement in writing without a back-and-forth email chain.

Billing Hand Wash Stations

Set your own price for hand wash stations on your service list. Because they are a separate unit type on the job, they show as their own lines on invoices. For contractors on monthly billing, they show on the monthly statement under the site address, so the contractor's bookkeeper can see exactly which site had a hand wash station and for how long.

Extra rental days past the days included are added to the invoice automatically, just like the toilets. Sales tax is set per site, so each line is taxed for the right location.

Closing Them Out

At the end of a project, hand wash stations come off with the rest of the units, or sometimes earlier if interior work wraps up first. Schedule the pickup, record the picked-up date and the rental closes. A photo of the empty spot is a good habit, the same as with toilets.

Small details like a full soap dispenser are what supers remember about your company. Crews notice an empty paper towel holder long before they notice a clean toilet, and they tell the super. Make restocking part of every service visit so the station is never the reason for a complaint. To see how hand wash stations, toilets and job sites fit together on one account, visit PortaPottyBossPro construction porta potty rental software.