Small Welfare Unit Hire
Not every job needs a 12 man canteen office. If you are running a crew of four to eight on a tight footprint, a small welfare unit gives everyone a toilet, hot water, a warm place to eat and somewhere to dry kit without taking over half the site.
We hire compact, solar hybrid welfare units from our Wigan depot to sites across the North West, usually delivered within 24 hours.
Compact Welfare Units for Small Crews and Tight Sites
The most common reason people look for a small welfare unit is space. Terraced street works, a courtyard refurb, a single plot new build, a utilities gang working out of a lay-by. The welfare provision still has to meet HSE welfare requirements, but there is nowhere to put a full size cabin and no appetite for booking a crane.
Small does not mean stripped back. Every unit in this range includes a separate toilet with hot hand wash, a rest area with seating, kettle and microwave, drinking water, heating and a dedicated drying area, so a crew of five gets the same standard of provision as a crew of twelve.
get a free quote
Fill out the form below with as much detail as you can. This will help our expert team get back to you with the most relevant information in the quickest time.
Need a small welfare unit on site this week? Tell us your crew size, postcode and start date and we will confirm the right unit and a delivery slot the same day.
Our Small Welfare Units Compared
| Unit | Best for | Capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Planet Power 6 | Crews of 4 to 6 on the tightest sites. Toilet with its own door, bench seating, kettle, microwave, two hot wash sinks, drying shelf with boot and glove rack. | 4 to 6 |
| Planet Power 8RD | Crews of up to 8 on wetter, muddier sites. Larger drying room with a hot drying shelf, one person desk, 28 gallon toilet tank, retractable drawbar. | 8 |
| Smart Pick | Sites a HIAB lorry cannot reach, including under power lines. Self loading, no lift plan, over two weeks of fuel on board. | 10 plus 2 person office |
For footprint planning, the Planet Power 6 measures 3,655mm long by 2,300mm wide (4,920mm including the drawbar) and stands 2,500mm high once lowered to the ground. The Planet Power 8RD is 4,200mm by 2,200mm with the drawbar retracted. If you are weighing up two sizes, our welfare unit size guide walks through the decision, or send us the site dimensions and we will tell you what fits.
Fully Equipped Despite the Footprint
- Solar hybrid power. Roof mounted panels charge a battery bank that runs the lights, phone charging and rest area heating. The generator only starts when it is needed and shuts itself off, which is why our units are up to 75% cheaper to run than a generator only cabin. Read how the hybrid system works.
- A proper toilet. Separate external entrance, large holding tank so servicing visits are less frequent, hot forearm wash sink, and a soluble towel system so nothing blocks.
- Heated drying area. Drying shelf, boot and glove rack, coat hooks and a wall heater, so wet kit is dry for the morning rather than still damp in the van.
- Hot water in the canteen. Kettle, microwave and a hot and cold wash sink for cups and plates.
- Secure when the site is empty. Anti vandal three bolt locking doors, lockable steel window shutters and a lockable towing gear shroud.
- Safe and road legal. Carbon monoxide and smoke alarms, electrics to BS 7671 18th Edition, and VCA type approval so the unit can be towed on the public highway.
Why Hire a Small Welfare Unit From Us
We have been hiring welfare units since 2007 and welfare is all we do. Our fleet is maintained and serviced by our own team rather than a subcontractor, and the toilets are cleaned on a set schedule throughout the hire, with fuel supplied for the hire period. See why contractors choose us and the team behind the fleet.
If a main contractor has specified a Groundhog by name, our Groundhog vs Planet Power comparison explains how the two compare.
Towed In, Lowered Down, No Crane Needed
Our small welfare units are built for tight sites. They are towed to site behind a 4×4, lowered to the ground hydraulically in a few minutes, and sit on a footprint not much bigger than a long wheelbase van.
When your works move along the road, we tow the unit to the next position for you. No HIAB, no lift plan, no waiting around. The Smart Pick goes a step further and self loads, so it can reach sites a HIAB lorry cannot, including under overhead power lines.
Delivered Across the North West Within 24 Hours
Delivery from Wigan covers Manchester, Liverpool, Warrington, Bolton, Preston and everywhere in between, usually within 24 hours of a confirmed order. Because every unit we run is within a short drive of our depot, an engineer is never far from your site if anything needs attention.
Hire or Buy for a Short Job?
If it is a short job and you are wondering whether hire stacks up against buying a second hand cabin, our welfare unit hire vs buying article runs the numbers. For most seasonal or project based needs, hire wins on cost and on not having a cabin to store, service and test for the rest of the year.
Small Welfare Unit Hire for Every Kind of Site
Compact units are the right answer wherever space is the constraint and the crew is small. We regularly supply them for:
- Street works and utilities repairs working from a lay-by or closed lane
- Courtyard, terrace and back garden refurbishments
- Single plot new builds and self builds
- Groundworks and drainage gangs on a moving programme
- Short term events, surveys and testing crews
- Satellite welfare on a larger site where the main cabin is too far from the work face
Get a Quote for Small Welfare Unit Hire
Call 01942 316900 or request a quote online with your crew size, postcode and start date. We will confirm the right unit and a delivery slot the same day, and if you are not sure which size you need, send us the site dimensions and we will tell you what fits.
Small Welfare Unit Hire FAQs
What is the smallest welfare unit you hire?
Our most compact options are the Planet Power 6 and the Smart Pick. The Planet Power 6 serves crews of 4 to 6 with a toilet, canteen area and drying space on a footprint just under 3.7 metres long.
Are small welfare units still HSE compliant?
Yes. Every unit includes a toilet with hot hand washing, a heated rest area, drinking water, a means of heating food and water, and a drying area for wet clothing, which covers the welfare provision set out in CDM 2015 Schedule 2.
Do small welfare units need mains power?
No. Our units run on solar hybrid power with an on board generator as back up, so they work on any site with no mains connection. If mains is available, each unit can be plugged in through an external socket instead.
Can a small welfare unit fit on a tight urban site?
Yes. These units are designed to drop into tight spaces and be repositioned as the works move. The Smart Pick goes a step further and self loads, so it can reach sites a HIAB lorry cannot.
Do I need a crane or lift plan?
No. The units are towed in and lowered to the ground on their own hydraulics, so there is no lift to plan and no crane to hire. From our Wigan depot we usually deliver across the North West within 24 hours.