Laboratory Relocations
Site to Site Relocations
Safety Matters
We work with safety officers at both ends of your move, or those responsible for your building if it is an internal move, to prepare risk assessments and method statements, but most importantly to ensure the move is safe in reality, not just on paper.
To make sure you stay within the law our vehicles comply with "ADR" (European Agreement concerning the Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road) regulations; We also have our own in-house Dangerous Goods Safety Advisor, or "DGSA".
It is a legal requirement for the company carrying out your move to employ somebody with this exacting qualification. Those companies that include laboratory moving in their services, but do not actually specialise, can use an outside contractor, but lab moving is a specialist field in itself and we have our own DGSA who will advise and decide the relevant equipment and packaging to be used to meet the legal requirements and keep your move safe.
Preparation
We can supply a full packing service, but many of our customers see the move as an opportunity to assess what they have and discard non-essential items. Should you prefer to pack yourself we can supply crates and packaging whenever you need them, well in advance of the move for your own staff to pack. You are not expected to empty them on the day we deliver to your new lab, they are usually collected about a week after the move. We can also arrange extended hire of crates for a small extra charge.
As a general rule we pack chemicals and other hazardous materials as we are familiar with the procedures and potential pitfalls. We also suggest that your staff leave heavier items of bench top apparatus to us to avoid potential injury. This is usually done on the day of the move.
It will be necessary to ensure that any equipment to be moved has been cleaned and decontaminated before we handle it. You can use your own forms to document this, or we can supply them. Where the location of an item, or its size makes it difficult to do this work, HRH crews will assist.
The Ins and Outs of your building
Laboratory buildings can pose serious access problems. Lifts are often not big enough, and doorways and corridors inadequate for moving large apparatus.
We deploy a range of stair climbers, lifting gear, tools and the knowledge and training to use them to solve these problems. We work with crane companies throughout the country and deal with all the aspects of preparation that are needed when a heavy lift is required.
A benefit of having moved laboratories for so many years, is that we probably know not just your existing laboratories, but where you might be moving to as well. HRH has a very low staff turnover. Our team moving you will probably have a very good idea of any access challenges from their past experience.
On site Relocations
When you need to move a single item of large apparatus, or perhaps re-arrange a laboratory or department, safety is critical. You face not just the inevitable legal requirements of risk assessments and method statements, but also the immutable laws of physics.
Using your own people without the right equipment and training could cause serious injury or expensive damage, possibly both.
Even if your laboratory is situated hundreds of miles from our base in Hertford; Our teams travel throughout the UK on a regular basis carrying out our work.
We’re happy to help regardless of the size of the job. With the range of lifting and handling equipment and the huge experience they can bring to bear on the task they will complete the job efficiently, and safely and with the minimum disruption to your work.
