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Mission: The psais mission is to establish and evolve industry best practices, assist members in building successful businesses, and to increase understanding of portable sanitation's positive impact on global health/environmental challenges.
Programs: (a) the psai holds two main educational events each year. The nuts and bolts educational conference provides 200 attendees with industry-specific knowledge sessions and peer networking, as well as a hands-on tour of the operations of members located near the conference site. The annual convention offers 420 attendees hours of industry-specific educational information, round table discussions with peers, and informal networking to expand contacts and share professional experiences. (b) the psai provides in-person and remote training on industry specific topics and best practices. (c) in conjunction with the annual convention, the psai hosts the only portable sanitation industry-specific trade show in north america, providing attendees with exposure to emerging trends and innovations affecting their businesses. (d) the psai has created industry-specific training programs that have been offered in cooperation with other organizations such as oasis (11/17, 30 attendees), owpi (2/18, 30 attendees), and wwett (2/18, 200 attendees). These programs are also offered at the psai's events and continuing education credit is available from states requiring it.
the psai provides valuable services to the public and portable sanitation industry members. Key among them: a) development, promotion, and ongoing revision of industry standards including the development of an ansi-compliant standard on the safe use of portable restroom trailers and participation on two iso/ansi standards development teams. B) creation and maintenance of educational materials and initiatives for business owners including the weekly publication of an e-newsletter containing the latest industry news. C) administation of the only industry-specific professional certification program, with nearly 600 current credential holders in 2018-19 and nearly 2800 since the program's inception. D) publishing an industry-specific resource directory to assist members in locating important operational and regulatory resources for their businesses. E) publishing the only industry-specific code of excellence (companies) and code of ethics (individuals) and providing a means of filing complaints related to code of excellence issues. F) administering a scholarship program for industry members. In 2017-18 five scholarships of $5,000 were awarded.
the psai makes information and tools available to the public to assist them in their successful use of portable sanitation. (a) the psai's website psai. Org is a public-friendly source of information. The portable restroom operator (pro) finder tool on the site provides a searchable database of 500+ locations to assist the public in locating providers in their areas. (b) creation and maintenance of educational materials and initiatives for the public. In 2017-18 the psai published its "3 ps" decals aimed at informing the public about safe disposal of items so as to protect our waterways. (d) the psai sponsors world portable sanitation day in conjunction with world toilet day. This initiative is aimed at providing education to the public regarding the lack of adquate sanitation options globally, the role nonsewered waste options such as portable sanitation can play in addressing these challenges, and the water conservation that is inherent in the use of portable units. In 2017 the psai held its first annual urgent run, a fun event designed to generate donations to a sanitation related charity. Nearly 60 people participated and some $4200 was donated to a charitable organization.