Field Sanitation for Cotton Harvest Crews
What the farm rule requires, when it applies, and how to keep restrooms near a crew that moves every day.
When does the field sanitation rule apply?
OSHA 29 CFR 1928.110 applies to farms with 11 or more hand laborers in the field on any day. It requires 1 toilet and 1 handwashing facility for every 20 workers, within a quarter-mile walk. It doesn't apply to workers in the field 3 hours or less, including travel. Potable drinking water is required too.
Source: OSHA 1928.110.
How big is harvest season on the South Plains?
Harvest season on the South Plains is big and long. The Texas High Plains grows about two-thirds of Texas cotton and a quarter of U.S. cotton, around 4 million bales a year. Lubbock County had 1,286 farms in the 2022 USDA Census, with cotton as the top crop, and gin season runs roughly October into January.
Sources: Texas Farm Bureau · USDA 2022 Census.
How do restrooms keep up with a moving crew?
Towable unit trailers keep restrooms within the quarter-mile walk as crews move field to field. We drop the trailer at the turn row and the crew tows it. Standard units can also be moved by our driver on scheduled service days. Handwash stations ride on the same trailer.
Written by the Scott Rental Works dispatch team: the people who schedule, deliver, service and pick up our units from 2201 34th St in Lubbock.
We checked these facts against OSHA, the International Plumbing Code, the 2010 ADA Standards, PSAI guidance, manufacturer spec sheets, NWS Lubbock climate normals and City of Lubbock pages. Last reviewed .
Related questions
Every question below was asked on a real rental call. The short answer comes first, then the conditions that change it.
Do harvest crews need toilets?
Yes, on farms with 11 or more hand laborers. OSHA 1928.110 requires 1 toilet and 1 handwashing facility per 20 workers, within a quarter-mile walk, unless crews are in the field 3 hours or less. Towable units move with the crew.
Do I need a handwashing station?
Add one whenever food is served, at petting zoos, and on jobsites where crews handle paint, coatings or chemicals. Plan 1 station per 10 toilets. Deluxe units have their own sink, which covers small parties.
Can your truck reach a ranch or lease road?
Usually, if the caliche or dirt is dry and firm. Tell us about cattle guards, gates and soft spots. After a heavy rain we may set the unit at the pavement edge so the service truck doesn't bog down.
Do porta potties freeze in a Lubbock winter?
The holding tank rarely freezes solid, but handwash water and flush tanks can. When a hard freeze is forecast, we add a winter tank treatment and drain or protect sink water. December and January lows average in the upper 20s.
Get an itemized quote
Six fields. You get one line each for the unit, dates, delivery, pickup, servicing and fees. If we can't hit your date, we'll tell you on the first call so you aren't left waiting for a callback.
- Free cancellation up to 24 hours before drop-off
- Weather call? We move your date, no charge
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