Electrical Contractors Suffer the Worst Access Hire Failures of Any UK Trade
Posted by: electime 18th June 2026
Nearly one in three powered access platform hires booked by electrical contractors breaks down on site, the worst rate of any UK trade. That is the headline finding from new Censuswide research commissioned by Horizon Platforms, the powered access hire specialist, which surveyed 300 construction planning and management professionals on the true cost of hire failures.
Work out the true cost to you at https://calculator.horizonplatforms.co.uk/
Kelly Burgess, Head of Hire at Horizon Platforms, said:
“Electrical contractors are usually the last trade on site and the first to get squeezed when a programme slips. When a scissor lift turns up late or breaks down, there is no float left to absorb it. This data shows they are paying for that twice – once in idle labour, and again in penalties.”
One in three hires fails
Electrical professionals reported that, on average, over the last 12 months:
- 31% of their MEWP hires broke down on site, against 19% across all trades
- 29% of hires failed to turn up at all – double the all-trade average of 14%
- 26% arrived late, and 29% were the wrong equipment for the job
- Their most recent hire failure cost an average of £7,098, against £6,343 across all trades
Penalties, collapses and near-misses
The knock-on costs hit electrical firms harder than any other trade:
- 86% have incurred contractual penalties in the last three years because of an access hire issue, and 73% have paid liquidated damages
- 73% have had a hire supplier go into administration mid-project in the last 12 months, against 51% across all trades
- 87% have been involved in or witnessed a near-miss or health and safety incident caused by faulty, unsuitable or late-arriving hired access equipment – more than half (54%) personally
The research also found electrical contractors are the most ready to vote with their feet: 36% say they are very likely to switch their main hire supplier in the next 12 months because of service issues (against 22% across all trades), and they would pay the biggest premium of any trade – 16.6% more on hire rates – for a supplier that is reliable and easy to deal with.
On what contractors should do, Kelly Burgess, Head of Hire at Horizon Platforms, says:
“Reliability is not a nice-to-have for an electrical contractor. It is the difference between hitting a handover date and writing a cheque. More than a third of the electrical professionals in this research are actively looking to move supplier, and they are telling us they would pay more for kit that simply turns up on time and works.
“Before booking, ask your hire company about breakdown response times, the age of the fleet, and what happens if the platform does not arrive. We have built a Cost of a Poor Hire Calculator so contractors can put a real number on what a failed hire costs them. Most people are surprised by the figure.”
