Construction sites require a wide range of facilities for a number of reasons, from catering to on-site managers and workers, to accommodating visitors and clients. These facilities include toilets, showers, catering or hospitality areas, changing rooms and offices. However, when you’re completing a construction project and you’re on a tight budget and schedule, building structures and facilities to accommodate the needs of your workers and clients can be both time-consuming and costly.
When working on a construction project, many supervisors and employees often need to be away from the main office building for long periods of time. However, during this time, it's still important to complete office tasks and ensure that the paperwork on-site is up to date and taken care of - and therefore having an office space on-site is essential. An on-site office is particularly important for the project manager as it provides a space for them to go over plans, conduct meetings and organise important documents.
Instead of spending time and money attempting to build a temporary office space on your construction site, we’re here to tell you everything you need to know about Portable Office offices and how they can be beneficial to you and your workers.
The pros of portable offices.
Time-saving
Erecting a portable building is far quicker than building a permanent structure for your construction site - in fact, it takes 30 to 60% less time. Setting up a temporary portable office will save your business both time and money and allow you to focus on tasks related to the project, instead of focusing on building an office space. Once the project has been completed, the temporary building can quickly and easily be deconstructed and moved to a new project or location.
Cost-reducing
As a construction business, you should look to reduce your expenditure where possible. Hiring a pre-built portable office is far more cost-effective than building one from scratch and will save your business money. The cost of hiring a portable office kit is far cheaper than paying your workers extra to construct a permanent office structure.
High-quality
You don’t need to worry about the quality of a portable office. Just because they can be constructed quickly and easily, doesn’t mean that they compromise on quality. Portable buildings are made using high-quality materials and are designed in a controlled environment with safety and efficiency in mind.
Eco-friendly construction
Hiring a portable office office for your construction site is more environmentally friendly than building one from scratch for a number of reasons. Firstly, construction time is greatly reduced and therefore less environmental pollution is produced. All materials used to construct a portable office are pre-measured and therefore no construction waste is produced. Portable offices are also almost 100% reusable, which makes them extremely environmentally friendly.
In addition, Portable offices are energy-efficient and designed to retain heat in the winter and cool down quickly in summer. This means that you don’t have to spend extra money and use energy to heat or cool the office, reducing your carbon footprint.
Flexibility
In some cases, you may need to add some extra space to your construction office or make some alterations. Altering a permanent structure can be difficult; however, making changes to a portable office is fairly simple. Portable buildings are designed to be easily adaptable and relocatable and therefore making changes or moving the structure is easy. Portable offices come in a range of different sizes, styles and types to suit different requirements and needs.
Facilities and extras
Portable buildings can be modified with a range of optional extras to meet the needs and requirements of your business. Extras you can add include wall mounted kettles, stainless steel sinks, worktops, kitchens and more.
The cons of portable buildings
Site challenges
Portable buildings do not require a foundation, however they do need to be constructed on an even site. If you have an uneven site, you’ll need to have it leveled to prevent the small building from rocking or settling. Portable buildings can also be subject to movement if the ground they are on freezes or thaws.
This issue can be prevented by providing a solid foundation (for example, a concrete slab or footings) for the building to be constructed on. This will ensure that the building remains level.
In some areas, portable buildings may need to be tied down to keep them in place in strong winds. However, this is a simple task that can easily be done with auger style earth anchors. These can be screwed into the ground and will secure your portable building to ensure it remains secure and in place.
What should be kept in a portable construction office?
Every construction project requires careful planning and preparation to ensure that it goes smoothly. Having an office space is an essential part of this; this is the place where workers go when they arrive on site and the place that visitors first report to. In addition, site meetings often take place here too - and therefore it’s important that your office is equipped with everything you need for all tasks. Below, we take a look at a few essentials you’ll need for your Portable building.
Key documents
All of the key documents and paperwork relating to your construction project should be kept in your on-site office. The right documentation should be there for when the HSE comes to visit and to communicate procedures to your workers.
Notice board
It’s important to have a notice board in your construction office so that you can display important information to your team, such as fire and emergency plans, health and safety rules and any revised plans or notices.
First aid kit
You should always have a first aid kit on hand in case any accidents happen. Construction work is high risk and having a first aid kit to hand is key. It’s important that you always comply with health and safety regulations.
Accident book
If any accident happens on your construction site, it’s important that it is recorded and logged. Keep an accident book in your office for workers to fill in if they have an accident.
Fire safety equipment
It’s important to have the correct fire safety equipment on your construction site in case a fire breaks out. On-site fire equipment should include a fire extinguisher and a fire blanket, along with site-wide fire safety plans. It’s also important that all of your workers are aware of the fire safety plans you have in place.
Site diary
The project manager should keep a diary on-site at all times. In this diary, a daily record should be kept to record the progress of the project and plan what needs to be done. A site diary is vital to help you plan for the days and weeks ahead and keep a note of any important changes or progress.
Manchester Cabins: temporary buildings and containers for hire
If you need a portable office for your construction project, you needn’t look further than Manchester Cabins. All of our jackleg cabins can be modified with a range of optional extras and are ideal for all types of purposes, including offices, temporary classrooms, pop-up kiosks, ticket booths and more.
The wall panels of our cabins have durable wipe down plastisol coated steel on external and most internal surfaces, with excellent insulation properties. All of our jackleg cabin hire units are available as single or double stacked units. External doors are solid core with Yale security lock, and an extra element of security can be provided by wire mesh window guards on all of our jackleg cabins hire fleet.
For more information about our container hire options or cabins for sale, visit our website or get in touch with us today.
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