One of the most common questions asked by business owners or managers in any industry is, why should they be part of an industry trade organization? The portable sanitation industry is no exception. In other words ... “What is the PSAI going to do for me?’’ That’s a fair question, so here is a sampling of what your trade association was involved in the past year:
• Assisting reputable operators in the industry to succeed in their field: Networking Program, committee projects, and the BoD.
• Providing meeting places for industry participants to exchange information and experience: convention, Nuts & Bolts, LinkedIn, Facebook, website, newsletter.
• Providing industry objectives and information to: regulators (domestic and international); building inspectors, health inspectors (state and province); departments of health, (city, state, province and national); emergency management divisions; U.S. Centers for Disease Control, World Health Organization, military, state environmental health and onsite wastewater associations, construction companies, students and journalists.
• Representing the industry on important issues: Illinois and Minnesota PRO regulatory licensing; Texas Department of Transportation evacuation procedures; Texas Department of Environmental Health restructuring PRO rules, codes and enforcement; Minnesota and Maryland elimination of units in park areas – now reinstated; California deodorizer ban, mandatory containment trays and anchors; California Department of Agriculture; Australia Environmental Protection Agency and static units; Colombia Ministry of Health; Georgia sales tax issue; disasters in Haiti and Chile; New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Virginia code interpretation for placement of and allowance of portable restrooms; sending certification standards upon request to 36 different state regulatory agencies. These represent a sampling of work conducted on a daily basis.
• Listening to member concerns regarding under-pricing, competitive “dirty tricks,” supplier-to-PRO exclusivity equipment contracts, closing and/or limiting disposal facilities to PROs, human resources downsizing, staff evaluation, hiring sales staff: salary versus 100-percent commission, service tech salary versus per-unit compensation, sales and use tax, personal injury and worker compensation, legal issues and safety audits.
• Getting the notice of enforcement agencies (and the public) to show the importance of our industry: exhibiting at the Pumper & Cleaner Environmental Expo International, the Society of Association Executives, the International Federation of Environmental Health, the National Environmental Health Association, the National Safety Council; exhibiting and industry workshop at Minnesota Environmental Health Conference, primary speaker for Midwest (Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska and Oklahoma) Environmental Health Council and providing information packages for City Managers Conference; Conducting news interviews on issues; advertising in the American Subcontractors Association magazine to promote ANSI Z4.3 — 1 unit for 10 workers.
• Improve our international representation and services: translated guide to clean portable restrooms, special event breakdown, ANSI Z4.3 translated into Spanish and two different Chinese languages; certification manual and testing in Spanish, industry and emergency management information translated into Spanish, working on the German DIN standards.
• Other benefits include: preferential member (PRO and associate member) referrals over non-members; board of directors informing members and providing a framework for development of the portable sanitation industry; working committees developing programs to enhance member benefits; maintenance of a current industry list; growing enforcement in the housing industry; promoting standards for the special events market; upgrading the average level of equipment made available by members to get the industry to upgrade its image and level of service; educate members about the value of knowing the cost of doing business to ensure improved service and equipment; image/marketing, providing tools for companies to move beyond industry stereotypes.
A FINAL THOUGHT
The PSAI is as strong and effective as its membership. If you are a current PSAI member, thank you for supporting your industry. If you’re still asking, “What are you going to do for me?’’ the answer now depends on you.
Matt Sola is chair of the Portable Sanitation Association International Membership Committee. To learn more about the PSAI, visit www.psai.org.
