Restrooms for School and Hospital Building Projects

Keeping the units off the access routes

Units stay clear of fire lanes, delivery bays and the entrances that stay in use, because a unit in one of those places can stop an ambulance or a delivery during the works.

A fire lane must stay open at all times, and a unit on it is a hazard the fire service will not forgive. The technician checks the fire access on the owner's plan and places each unit at least clear of it, with the distance agreed with the owner.

Entrances used by students, patients or visitors are kept clear. A unit set in a doorway's line of sight is a trip hazard and an obstacle, and the walk from the crew area is routed away from the pedestrian path.

• Keep the fire lane and hydrants clear
• Stay off the delivery bay and the drive
• Keep unit doors off the main entrances
• Route the crew walk away from pedestrian paths

Working around an occupied building

The crew and the units have to work around people who keep using the building, which means a signed route, quiet hours for servicing and no truck through a crowd.

A school day or a hospital shift changes the crowd every few hours. A signed route from the crew area to the units tells the crew where to walk and tells the building's users to stay away from the work zone.

Servicing is set for the quiet hours the owner allows. A truck that arrives during a school's dismissal or a shift change is a risk and a delay, and the schedule is written around those times.

Counting for a crew on a long project

A project that runs through a full year needs a count that changes with the crew and the phase, and the plan states the change points so the owner can see them.

Crews on a school or hospital job grow for the structural phase and shrink for finishing. The count follows that pattern, and the change points are written on the plan so the owner knows when a unit is added or removed.

The building's own facilities may be closed for part of the work. Where that happens, the plan notes the closure, and the count is increased to cover the crew for the period.

Handover and the owner's own spaces

Units leave the site in the state the owner's plan records, and the spot is returned clean, with no marks on the grounds that the owner has to repair.

When a phase ends, the units are emptied and removed or moved. The spot is checked for spills, ruts and marks from the pad, and the owner's representative signs the record of the state the spot was left in.

A final handover of the site includes confirming that all units have gone, the fire access is clear and the entrances are open.

Noise, dust and the hours of work

Units are kept away from the noisiest and dustiest parts of the works, and the servicing visits are timed around the hours the owner sets for quiet, so the building's users are not disturbed.

A school or a hospital is sensitive to noise and dust. The servicing truck runs its engine and its pump, and the owner may limit when that can happen. The visit is timed to the hours the owner allows and kept to the route the owner has approved.

Units placed near the dustiest part of the works are cleaned more often, because dust settles on the walls, the seat and the hand sanitiser in a short time.

Contractor and owner: one set of rules for the units

The general contractor and the site owner agree one set of rules for the units, so a crew from one trade does not move a unit that another trade depends on.

A building site is shared by several trades, and each one wants a unit close to its own work. Without a rule, the units move to suit whoever shouts loudest and the owner's route is lost. The plan names the one party that can move a unit and the process for asking.

The owner's own facilities are also agreed. Where a building restroom reopens for part of the job, the plan records the date so the units are reduced at the right time and not left in place out of habit.