Every temporary or mobile construction site in Portugal falls under the Decreto-Lei nº 273/2003 of October 29 — the law on safety and health at temporary and mobile construction sites. This decree-law transposes Directive 92/57/EEC into national law and regulates the duties of the client, designer, safety coordinator, and contractor. Annex II specifies the minimum safety and health requirements on construction sites, including sanitary facilities and changing rooms. For the main contractor or subcontractor, this is not a guideline but a basis for inspection by ACT (Autoridade para as Condições do Trabalho — Portuguese labor inspection) and for site access through the PSS (Plano de Segurança e Saúde — safety and health plan) and prior notification to ACT. Non-compliance with Annex II results in fines and work suspension. Below is what is checked and where a waterless urinal meets the requirements.
What Decreto-Lei 273/2003 Requires
The regulation divides responsibility among roles. The client appoints a CSP (safety coordinator during the design phase) and a CSO (safety coordinator during the execution phase). The CSP prepares the PSS before work begins; the CSO ensures its implementation and updates. The main contractor is responsible for the actual presence of sanitary facilities on-site and their compliance with the plan.
Annex II mandates providing a sufficient number of toilets and sinks separately for men and women, reasonably close to work areas, with ventilation and the possibility of hygienic cleaning. Practical calculation, reflected in the AICCOPN technical guide and construction industry collective agreements: one toilet and one urinal for 15–20 workers. The Portaria 101/96 additionally regulates sites with a small workforce.
On a construction site with temporary sewage connection or without it, these requirements are met by portable toilets with a holding tank — the standard from Mota-Engil, Multitemp, Multifluvial, Toi Toi Portugal.
Prior Notification and PSS
Prior notification to ACT is mandatory for construction sites where work exceeds 30 working days with more than 20 workers simultaneously present, or the total volume exceeds 500 person-days. The document is submitted before work begins and records, among other things, the organization of sanitary facilities.
The PSS includes a section on sanitary facilities and changing rooms. Pi-Pi's standard package for PSS: LLDPE technical sheet, REACH/RoHS, photo of the installed urinal, connection diagram to the tank. This is sufficient for the PSS, for the CSO, and for ACT inspection. Documents are sent by email.
ACT Inspection
ACT checks on-site: the presence of the PSS and prior notification, the actual number of toilets and urinals relative to the workforce, the condition of facilities (cleanliness, ventilation, lighting), separation for men and women, material documentation. In case of non-compliance — protocol, fine, in severe cases work suspension. A prepared document package for each sanitary component reduces inspection time.
Urinal-Toilet Calculation
In crews predominantly male — typical for framing, masonry, and roofing work — one urinal for 15–20 workers alleviates peak load and reduces queues during lunch breaks and shift changes. Pi-Pi is mounted on the wall of an existing portable toilet or inside a modular unit without plumbing modification: a stepped nozzle Ø24/32/40 mm connects to a standard tank of any Portuguese cabin manufacturer.
Climate in Portugal: Algarve and Trás-os-Montes
Portugal is diverse. Algarve, coastal Alentejo, inland Beira in summer operate at +35…+40 °C in the sun with high ultraviolet exposure. Trás-os-Montes, Serra da Estrela, part of Beira Alta in winter drop to −10…−15 °C. The logistics park is usually shared — a cabin that spent summer in Faro goes to Bragança in winter.
Polypropylene with surface coloring degrades from ultraviolet in 1–2 seasons in Algarve: color fades, surface becomes rough. In frost, the same polypropylene becomes brittle at −10 °C and cracks from a worker's impact or during loading-unloading. LLDPE Pi-Pi contains 2.5% technical carbon by product mass (not applied on top) — UV resistance does not depend on the surface layer, and elasticity is maintained down to −30 °C (ASTM D1693). One material for both climatic extremes of the country.
Compatibility with Rental Fleet
The Portuguese rental market for portable toilets is represented by Mota-Engil, Multitemp, Multifluvial, Toi Toi Portugal, and regional operators. All use tanks with 32 or 40 mm inlets. The Pi-Pi stepped nozzle (24/32/40) connects without adapters. For a contractor with a mixed fleet, this is one part number for spare parts.
What the Urinal Does Not Do
Pi-Pi is a component, not a complete solution for Annex II. Decreto-Lei 273/2003 requires a toilet, sink, lighting, and heating of the module. Pi-Pi covers one point — separate collection of urine from men standing.
Conclusion
Decreto-Lei 273/2003 is the framework within which every construction site in Portugal operates. Pi-Pi is tailored to this framework: the material does not degrade from UV in Algarve and does not crack in winter in Trás-os-Montes, the nozzle is compatible with the fleet of Mota-Engil, Multitemp, Multifluvial, and Toi Toi Portugal, documents are ready for PSS, prior notification, and ACT inspection. Installation — 15–30 minutes. For calculations for a specific construction site and project conditions from 100 units, contact us — we will send a calculator and supply terms.
