The arrival of winter does not signify the death of the outdoors. A bunch of outdoor events and construction projects are still held during the colder months of winter. A portable toilet unit is still relevant for these winter activities and there are useful tips that can be taken on board as you plan to host or attend these events. Popular winter events include snowboarding, hiking, climbing, sledding and skiing.
There are also running events like the half marathon that takes place in the UK such as Hardmoors, Grand Union, Broadway and the Glentress winter trial half marathon. There are also a variety of Christmas markets in London and neighbouring counties with the popular Borough, Portobello and Old Spitalfields Christmas markets leading the pack.
Most of these events are outdoors and are not all equipped with permanent toilet facilities. This calls for the need to hire portable toilet units to ensure sports participants perform at optimal level without worrying about where to have a pee or poo and keeping warm at the same time.
Here are 5 things to consider when hiring or using a portable toilet during winter
1) Heating facilities: It is important for organisers to ascertain if they require mobile toilet units with heating facilities. This largely depends on the temperature of the given day, the location of the event, the placement of the toilets and the nature of the event. With some events, participants are more likely to be warm due to body movement and the internal heat generated in the process. Regardless of how warm participants are as a result of going up and down an ice slope or running a trail half marathon, it might be important to ensure toilets are hired with heating units.
2) Placing of portable toilet units: it is important to place toilet units in areas where they can’t be easily covered up by snow. Areas with a bit of natural shade and great accessibility will be ideal. It is advisable to place the portable toilet units in direct sunlight as it helps warm the outer walls and further aids with the radiation of heat within the facility
3) Salting around the restroom to ensure safety: The winter months always presents safety concerns for outdoor events and activities. It is important to apply some salt around the mobile toilet unit to reduce the freezing temperature of water and facilitate the melting of the ice. This will reduce incidents of people slipping and sustaining injuries in the process.
4) Removing snow mass: It is quite important that event organisers consider removing any snow mass before it builds up and becomes a hazard to users.
5) Protect from strong winds: Portable toilet units should be placed close to a fence or solid structure to help barricade the units from unfriendly wind. Doing this helps reduce the amount of cold the units are exposed to and also prevents any incidence of tip-over of the portable toilets.
