What is a portable handwashing station?
A portable handwashing station is a self contained sink with its own fresh water tank, a foot or push pump, soap and towel dispensers, and a greywater tank underneath that catches everything that goes down the drain. Nothing connects to a building. Nothing connects to a sewer.
The parts that decide whether it suits your job:
- Fresh water tank, commonly 22 gallons on a two station gravity unit
- Greywater catchment sized to match, so it fills at the same rate the fresh side empties
- Foot pump on each basin, which keeps hands off the controls
- Soap dispenser and roll towel or paper towel holder
- On heated units, an inline element and an insulated jacket for winter work
That is the whole machine. It is deliberately simple, because the failure mode on a jobsite is always a pump or a valve, and a simple unit gets fixed on the spot. If you want running water at a basin with a mixing tap instead, that is a portable sink, and if you only need dry hand hygiene at the door of a unit, look at a sanitizer stand.
Does OSHA require a handwashing station on a Philadelphia jobsite?
On a lot of construction work, yes. OSHA 1926.51(f)(1) requires the employer to provide adequate washing facilities for employees engaged in the application of paints, coatings, herbicides or insecticides, or in other operations where harmful contaminants may be present. Concrete, silica dust, adhesives and solvents all land inside that description on a normal Philadelphia rehab.
For fixed workplaces the bar is written more plainly. OSHA 1910.141(d)(2) requires lavatories with hot and cold running water or tepid running water, hand soap, and individual hand towels or a warm air blower. A rented station meets that intent with a tank rather than a plumbed supply, which is why they turn up on sites that have toilets long before they have a water service.
Separately, OSHA 1926.51(c)(1) sets the toilet count at one for 20 or fewer workers, and the handwash provision is what sits alongside it. Our page on OSHA portable toilet requirements works through the full ratio table, and handwashing requirements covers the washing rules on their own.
How many handwash stations do I need?
Start from the toilet count, then adjust for what people are doing with their hands. The usual working figure is one handwash station for every two to four portable toilets on a jobsite, and one per two units at an event where food is being served.
Rough guide by job:
- Rowhouse gut renovation, 6 to 10 trades on site: one unit, one station
- Mid rise build, 40 workers: two toilets, one station, moved as the site grows
- Wedding or private party at 150 guests: two units and one station
- Street festival with food vendors: a station at every vendor cluster, not one at the far end
- Marathon or 5K start line: stations grouped with the unit bank, not spread thin
The sizing calculator does the toilet arithmetic for guest counts and hours. Add the wash stations on top of whatever it returns. For event work specifically, event restroom rental and festival restroom rental set out how the banks get laid out.
Types of handwash station we deliver
| Type | Stations | Water | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gravity, two station | 2 | About 22 gallons fresh | Jobsites, small events |
| Gravity, four station | 4 | Larger tank, same principle | Festivals, food vendor rows |
| Heated | 2 | Inline heater, insulated | Winter construction |
| Deck mount for trailers | Built in | Plumbed to trailer tank | Runs with a restroom trailer |
| ADA reach height | 2 | Same tank, lower basin | Public events, mixed access |
A restroom trailer already has flushing fixtures and sinks with running water inside it, so a separate station is usually only added outside for queue management. Same with a shower trailer.
Will a handwash station meet ADA reach requirements?
Only the low basin versions will, and only if it is placed correctly. The 2010 ADA Standards set the maximum unobstructed forward reach at 48 inches above the floor in section 308.2.1, and section 309.4 caps the force needed to operate any control at 5 pounds. A foot pump on a raised platform fails both.
Placement does as much work as the unit. Put it on the firm, level ground beside the ADA accessible unit rather than across a gravel run, and keep the approach clear. Our ADA restroom requirements page covers the unit side, and the placement guide covers the ground.
Getting a station onto a narrow Philadelphia block
Access is the real constraint here, not paperwork. Through South Philadelphia, Fishtown, Kensington and Point Breeze, the truck needs a clear approach to the drop point and one parked car across the curb cut ends the delivery. Tell us the block and the side, and if there is a permit parking sign on the pole, say so.
A handwash station is light enough to be walked through a gate on a hand truck, unlike a unit. That matters on a courtyard job where the only way in is a 36 inch side path. If the only route in is through the house, say that too, because it changes who we send.
For deliveries out past the city line we run to Conshohocken, Norristown and Upper Darby, with the full list on service areas.
Food vendors, events and the Philadelphia permit route
If you are running an event with portable units in Philadelphia, the application goes to the Department of Public Health under its infectious waste program, not to a streets or transportation department. That single piece of routing catches out more contractors than any other rule in this city. Our permit page walks through it.
Food service adds a second layer. The FDA Food Code, which Pennsylvania adopts, requires a handwashing sink to deliver water at a temperature of at least 100 degrees Fahrenheit through a mixing valve or combination faucet, which is why temporary food vendors ask specifically for a heated unit rather than a cold gravity one. Ask us for heated if a health inspector is going to look at it.
What does a handwashing station cost to rent?
It is quoted as a line on the job, not on its own, because the delivery is what costs money. Published market bands for this region, reviewed July 2026:
| Line | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Delivery and collection | $50 to $150 |
| Weekly service visit | $30 to $220, typically around $60 |
| Standard porta potty, per week | $130 to $500, typically $200 |
| Standard porta potty, per month | $125 to $325, typically $200 |
Those are market ranges, not a quote. What moves your number is distance from the yard, how often we come back, and whether the station is heated. See porta potty rental cost for the full breakdown and monthly rental for long term sites.
Servicing, refills and what we actually do on a visit
ANSI/PSAI Z4.3, the industry standard for non sewered waste disposal systems, treats weekly service as the baseline under ordinary use, and that is the interval we quote unless the job says otherwise. On a busy food event it is daily.
A service visit on a handwash station is: pump the greywater, rinse the catchment, refill fresh water, top up soap, restock towels, check both foot pumps. The CDC guidance that people should scrub for at least 20 seconds is only achievable if the soap and the water are both there, which is the entire argument for booking service rather than a drop and leave. See how often units are cleaned.
Questions about handwashing station rental
Do you rent a 5 gallon handwash station?Not as a rental line. The small 5 gallon countertop units are a purchase item and they run dry too fast for a working site. Our smallest rental is the two station gravity unit.
Can I get hot water?Yes, on a heated unit. Book it early in winter, since there are far fewer heated stations in the yard than cold ones. Read porta potty use in winter before a January job.
Do I need a handwash station sign?Signage is not something we invent for you. If your site has a written safety program that calls for a washing facility sign, post yours on the unit.
Is an industrial handwash station different?The plumbed stainless steel stations you see in food plants and labs are fixed equipment, not rentals. What we deliver is the portable equivalent for sites with no water service.
Can it go out with the toilets?Yes, and it should. One truck, one drop, one pickup. Combine it with standard units, flushable units or construction site services.
Book a handwashing station
Which units already have a sink?
A deluxe flushable unit does. A standard unit does not, so pair it with a station.
Is hand sanitizer enough on its own?
No. Sanitizer stations supplement a portable sink, they do not replace one.
How many stations does a crew need?
Count the crew on the unit calculator, then read OSHA requirements.
Where should it stand?
Beside the units, on firm ground. The placement guide covers approach and gradient.
How much water does a station hold?
Fresh tanks run from 5 gallon portable units up to about 22 gallon on a two-bay stand.
Tell us the address, the block, how many people and how long. We will quote the stations with the units rather than as an afterthought. Request a quote or contact us. Also useful: the rental checklist, home renovation units, emergency rental, portable toilet rental, porta potty rental in Philadelphia, the FAQ and the home page.
Next step
Get a delivery date
Tell us the address, the dates and the headcount. We size the order and confirm the route.