COVID-19 – Our Priority is Ensuring Your Safety

Let’s Work Together to Help You Adapt to New Social Distancing Rules in our Hire Shops

Smiths Hire are doing everything possible to reduce the risk of infection for our customers and staff. Your health and safety whilst in our Hire Shops is of utmost importance.

COVID-19 – Visiting our Hire Shops.

We are happy for you to visit us in depot, but would prefer if we could deliver directly to your site or home, however we do have COVID health and safety processes in place to ensure you and our teams safety.

Protective Screens in Depot

What you can expect when visiting Smiths Hire depots:

• Where necessary we will reduce the flow of customers coming into our shops to two at a time.
• Floor markings are in place to help you to keep to a safe distance.
• Protective screens have now been fitted on our Hire desks.
• We have placed hand sanitiser around the Hire Shop for both customers and our staff to use.
• All equipment will have been disinfected before its delivered or picked up from depot.
• We are currently only taking card payments by phone by email via Pay Pal or in the Hire Shop via contactless payment.

COVID-19 – Contact-free Delivery Process.

• We will take your order over the phone along with your payment.
• Our Delivery Drivers will call you prior to delivery to confirm a social distancing plan of action.
• Our equipment will be delivered already cleaned and sanitised paying particular attention to the touch points such as handles, triggers, buttons or keys.
  

  Our Delivery Team will deliver your hire items in a safe and contact-free way.

• Upon arrival on site, drivers will phone the customer to agree a suitable location to drop off equipment ordered. Social distancing must be adhered to of at least 2m from the Smiths Hire Driver.
• Once equipment is placed into a safe zone the driver will then take a photo of the equipment with his mobile phone.
• A hire contract will be emailed to the customer for the customer to E sign.
• Equipment instructions and test certificates will also be emailed to the customer.
• The Smiths Hire driver will then sign their smartphone (PDA) on behalf of the customer and then safely leave site.

COVID-19 – Contact-free Collection Process.

• At the end of the hire term, our team will call you prior to collection and confirm a plan of action for picking up the equipment.
• Upon arrival on site, our driver will phone the customer to agree a suitable location to collect the equipment. Social distancing must be adhered to of at least 2m from the Smiths Hire Driver.
• Equipment to be collected will be cleaned and sanitised paying particular attention to the touch points such as handles, triggers, buttons or keys in order to safely load and store it on or within the vehicle.
• Once the equipment has been safely collected the Smiths Hire driver will take a photo of the equipment on his smartphone.
• The Smiths Hire driver will then sign their smartphone (PDA) on behalf of the customer and then safely leave site.

OPERATIONAL HYGIENE & BUSINESS PROCEDURES:

• All equipment coming into depot and going out on hire will be thoroughly disinfected to reduce the risk of surface contamination.
  

  Let’s keep a 2m distance from the Hire Counter

• All drivers and hire depot staff will be wearing gloves during the process of handling equipment.
• During this period we will not be taking cash payments or asking customers to sign paperwork or PDA (proof of delivery).
• All depots will still operate standard business hours, however we are not currently providing a same day delivery service for customers, but will endeavour to deliver as quickly as possible.
• Smiths Hire stock levels are strong so whatever you need we have it in stock and ready to hire.

Our depot and head office central hire teams will continue to operate as normal and take orders. The majority of our head office team are now working from home and we do not expect significant disruption to our daily internal operations as a result of this environment change.

Every one of our customers can be assured that we will do whatever it takes to ensure things carry on as usual until the government tells us otherwise. At this point we will keep you fully informed at every stage as to the options available to you.

We ask for your understanding and support we really are in this together.

If you have any questions or concerns please speak call your local sales manager or alternatively your local depot team.

Kind regards,

David and Thomas Smith
Joint Managing Directors