Sanitizer and Sanitation Supplies in San Diego

What do San Diego County food-event rules say about handwashing supplies?

San Diego County Environmental Health and Quality publishes an organizer checklist for temporary food events that calls for approved handwashing and one toilet per 15 food employees within 200 feet of a booth. Soap and towels are what make a handwashing station usable. Confirm the current checklist for your event with the county.

The checklist is aimed at the organizer who admits vendors. It treats handwashing as part of the food-safety plan, not an extra for guests. That means the station must be near the booth, supplied with water and soap, and kept stocked for the whole event.

Hand sanitizer on its own is not usually a substitute for washing where food is handled. Ask the county for its position on your event, and plan stations first and sanitizer second.

How much paper and soap does a busy event use?

More than most organizers expect, and the amount depends on hours, alcohol and the age of guests. This site cannot give a figure for San Diego. Ask the provider how many rolls each cabin holds and how many visits will restock them, then plan a reserve for the busiest hours and leave room for growth.

A cabin at a three-day festival can go through its paper in a single afternoon. A handwash station near a food court may drain its tank before its soap runs out. The first sign is usually a queue, and the second is a volunteer sent to a store.

Build a small reserve into the plan: a few spare rolls, a jug of soap and a bundle of towels in the site office, if the provider allows them to be used.

What about sanitizer in and around the cabins?

Hand sanitizer is useful as a backup and for sites where water is not practical, but it does not replace handwashing at a food event. Providers differ on whether they mount dispensers in cabins. Ask what yours does, and if dispensers are an extra, decide which units need one.

Sanitizer is flammable and must be stored safely, so keep supplies out of the sun and away from heat sources at an outdoor event. The provider can say how it handles that.

Place stands at queue points as well as inside cabins. A stand at the entrance to a food court is often more useful than another inside a cabin.

What supplies relate to spill protection?

City of San Diego event guidance describes standard units as sitting on a liner so spills do not reach storm drains, and accessible units as possibly using sandbags. These are placed by the provider at set-up. Ask whether liners and sandbags are in the quote and where they will be used.

Spill protection matters most near drains, on slopes and by the shoreline. A liner under a cabin on pavement is a small cost that prevents a large problem, and a permit officer may ask about it.

A handwash station drips grey water, so the same care applies there. Position it away from drains, or ask the provider for a mat or tray.

What should a quote say about supplies, and how do I check them on the day?

It should list each supply by name, say whether it is included, how often it is restocked and what an extra restock costs. On the day, walk every cabin and station an hour before gates and again at the peak, and report shortages to the provider by phone.

Supplies are small in cost and large in effect, so they are worth a line each. If two providers quote similar totals, the one that spells out what is stocked and how often is easier to rely on.

Ask too about the products themselves. Some providers use particular brands or dispensers that need compatible refills, and a reserve of the wrong kind is no help.

Assign one person to the walk and give them a short checklist. An organizer who tries to do it between other jobs will miss the cabin at the far end of the lot. A volunteer with a clipboard and a phone is worth more than an hour of the organizer's time.

Keep the notes. At the end of the day they tell you how much was used, and the next event's plan can start from real figures instead of a guess.

• Toilet paper: rolls per unit and restock plan
• Soap and towels at each handwash station
• Hand sanitizer: dispensers, refills and who supplies them
• Bins and liners for station waste
• Extra restock: how to request it and what it costs