Question: The property manager of the building I work in notified us that all water would be shut off — no water and no restroom use — from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. one day due to repairs to the fire sprinkler and plumbing systems. They say they have to do this to avoid any possible ruptures to the pipes. I work 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., so that means when I need to go to the restroom, I will have to make a five-minute drive to the nearest restaurant. In the case of planned repairs, is the property management required to provide a portable toilet? What is the rule regarding having access to water during normal business hours?
Answer: The Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health Division follows federal standards to address situations like this.
In this case, because the loss of water is temporary and “short” — less than 12 hours on one day — the only standards at issue are the availability of drinking water and the ability to use a bathroom, said William Kunstman, spokesman for the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, which oversees HIOSH.
“As long as the employer does not prevent employees from leaving to use a remote site, our standards allow it,” he said. “If the construction lasted longer, or the employer restricts access to off-site toilets, the employer would have to provide portable toilets until normal operations resumed.”
The state Department of Health said it had no regulation or requirement regarding the availability of toilets or restrooms for a nonfood retail store or general business office.
The Health Department requires employees to have access to restrooms only for those businesses that are required to have DOH permits or are under specific DOH regulations, such as food facilities, schools, restaurants, public swimming pools and buildings of public assembly (such as auditoriums and theaters), said Peter Oshiro, manager of the department’s Environmental Health Program.
Meanwhile, water availability is of concern to the Honolulu Fire Department for obvious safety reasons.
When HFD is notified that a building’s fire protection or notification system is going to be shut down, “we require that a fire watch be in place during the time the systems are compromised,” said Battalion Chief Socrates Bratakos.
Depending on the scope and nature of the shutdown, the “fire watch” could be handled by the building’s security staff or, if a complex such as the Blaisdell Center is involved, fire inspectors may be required to be on site.
In doesn’t always happen, but “the best possible case” is for building managers to write a letter to the fire chief explaining that a fire alarm or sprinkler system is going to be shut down and getting HFD’s response on how to deal with it, Bratakos said.
Auwe
To the three boys with backpacks who cut a hole in the fence between Kalani Iki Street and Kalani High School. I did not realize that you had done that until it was too late to contact authorities. You have young, strong legs; you should have walked around the fence instead of breaking the law. — Kalani Valley resident
Mahalo
To the owners of Tsukenjo Lunch House in Kakaako. It closed before I could have one last plate of its shoyu chicken. But on June 19, volunteers setting up in McKinley High School’s cafeteria for the annual Friends of the Library Book Sale took a lunch break and were treated to minibentos of deliciously familiar shoyu chicken. When I asked one of the organizers about the chicken, she said that the owners of Tsukenjo, a longtime supporter of the book sale, offered to provide lunch, even though the restaurant was now closed. — Florence
Tsukenjo closed in May after 54 years. The 66th annual Friends of the Library Book Sale takes place through Sunday at McKinley High School. See friendsofthelibraryofhawaii.org.
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