Most welfare hire mistakes are sizing mistakes: a unit too small for the peak crew, too big for the access, or static when the work moves every week. Five questions sort it before you spend anything.
1. How many people at peak?
Not the average. The day the groundworkers, sparkies and the client's rep are all on site at once is the day the rest area either copes or doesn't. Rough guide: crews of up to 6, the 12ft covers it; up to 10, or anywhere a site office earns its keep, the 16ft with office; up to 12, the 20ft with office. Between sizes, tell us the peak headcount and we'll call it honestly.
2. Does the work move?
Static site, we deliver and site the unit: done. But utilities, highways, fencing and anything working along a route is well served here: every BOXD unit is towable on hidden hydraulic axles, hitched in and moved as the work moves, welfare that follows the crew instead of a forty-minute drive back to it. If your gang loses an hour a day travelling to facilities, it pays for itself in the first week.
3. What's the access like?
The question that gets forgotten until the wagon's outside. A HIAB delivery needs somewhere for the wagon to stand and swing: overhead cables, low arches, narrow lanes and soft ground all matter. Tight urban plots are where the 12ft earns its keep: it'll sit in little more than a parking bay. Tell us about access when you enquire and we plan the delivery around it rather than discovering it on the day.
4. How long is the job?
Under a month: keep it simple, the 12ft on weekly hire, collected on a message. Multi-month programmes change the maths: the 16ft and 20ft earn their keep, and longer commitments get sharper weekly rates. If phases overlap, say so, moving one unit between plots is often cheaper than hiring two.
5. Is there mains on site?
Usually not, and it shouldn't matter. Every BOXD unit is fully self-contained: onboard water, sealed waste tank serviced through the hire, and power from an efficient generator with Ecosmart management that runs it only when needed. Field gateway, city compound or industrial yard, the unit works the moment it's level.
The mistakes we see most
- Sizing for the average crew, then the rest area fails on the busiest day of the programme
- Hiring static for mobile work, and paying a crew to commute to their own toilet
- Nobody checking access, so delivery day becomes negotiation day
- Treating welfare as a day-one afterthought when it's a day-one legal requirement, see our CDM 2015 guide