Do you need to hire or buy barriers?

Good quality barriers are a vital aspect of safety and security at events, construction sites, civil engineering and a range of other projects. But as with all business decisions, you need to make acquiring barriers based on factors such as their price, practicality and specifics on their use.

In making that decision, you need to choose whether you are going to buy the barriers outright, or simply hire them for the duration of the project. Here we take a closer look at some of the things you need to consider when you buy or hire barriers.

Timescales

If you need to make a decision on hiring or buying barriers, probably the first thing that will influence you is the amount of time you need it for. Most people who hire barriers do so because they only need them for a short period – a matter of weeks or months – but this isn’t the only factor in the decision.

If you know that you are going to need your barriers either permanently, or for a project that is ultimately going to take place over the course of a year or more, buying definitely offers the most sensible solution for a perspective of logistics and smooth running of operations.

Cost

Of course, as with all business decisions, cost can become a major factor. Some businesses consider it best to buy their barriers outright, assuming they will have a need for them in future, but this isn’t always a sensible decision. It is important to think about where you are getting the most value from your barriers.

This relates back to the timescales involved. Clearly if you only need barriers for a week, it will be cheaper to hire. But over a long period, it becomes far more cost-effective to buy the barriers themselves.

Flexibility

You also need to consider flexibility when you decide to hire or buy barriers. As mentioned above, it can be more cost-effective to buy barriers if you know that you’re going to need them for a number of years. But also consider whether you are going to be using the barriers consistently through that period.

If you aren’t, this brings down the cost efficiency of buying – but there’s another issue too. Not using barriers for long periods means that you’ll need somewhere to store them. These storage costs of bought barriers need to be factored into your decision.

Branding

If you are interested in having barriers with your company or organisation’s branding, generally buying will be your only option. Hired barriers are typically of generic appearance, whereas it is possible to customise bought barriers to have the brand colours and even the logo on them.

Once again, this isn’t necessary right for every organisation, so it comes down to what you need the barriers for as to whether this is something that affects your decision.

Which type of barrier is right for you?

Don’t forget the importance of choosing the right barriers. Sometimes business owners or site managers can choose to hire barriers simply because they are available, without really finding out whether they are suitable for the task that they are needed for.

It is a great idea to talk with specialists in all types of barriers so that they can give you unbiased advice on the right ones to choose.

Maltaward specialises in the hire and sale of all types of concrete and plastic barriers from MASS barriers to water-filled barriers. If you are interested in learning more, or finding out the costs of hiring and buying, don’t hesitate to get in contact with the experienced team today.