Thefts and vandalism at construction sites are a growing problem. Large equipment such as graders, backhoes, and other large pieces of equipment that cost thousands of dollars are prime targets. In addition, materials such as metal and small equipment and tools are easy to walk away with and are a profitable commodity. These losses are not only monetary, but put the construction behind schedule while insurance claims and police reports are made and replacements are found. What are some things you can do to protect your company and the construction site?
Security Measures
In the past, it was always suggested that security cameras be installed to protect a construction site. While security cameras may be a good investigative tool, they are not a good deterrent to theft. The video may help the police, but the damage is already done.
Perimeter fencing, too, has been used to try to protect job sites, but it is also unreliable. Due to the nature of construction jobs, perimeter fencing usually must be temporary. Thus, the type of fencing used can easily be circumvented, climbed, or knocked over. Large pieces of equipment have been used to knock perimeter fences over. Chain link fencing, used most often by construction companies, does not provide adequate security and is not true security fencing.
The use of guard dogs has been another suggestion that has been recommended for construction sites. The main concern here, though, is the liability risk associated with having them on the property. Also, some insurance companies will not provide coverage to a business if they have guard dogs. If these concerns are not an issues, dogs can be an effective deterrent, but only if the job site lot is enclosed and the dogs can roam freely.
What type of security measures may be effective for a construction or job site?
- Security officers – a visible presence may deter thieves and vandals. Unfortunately, the cost of just one security officer can be quite expensive, and the officer(s) must be in the right place at the right time. Again, depending on the size of the work site, this may or may not be a good choice.
- Wireless security alarm systems — there are a number of different types of these systems out there and seem to be increasing each year; finding one that meets your particular needs may be the hard part. The advantage is that wireless security systems can be moved around as the job site changes during the construction.
- Security cameras with intelligent video or video analytic capabilities — this is basically an integration of a perimeter security alarm system and video cameras. The cost is not cheap but is going down as technology costs keep going down.
These are just a few suggestions on securing your construction site. Make sure that, in addition to the above, you also follow the basic principles of security. No matter what type of security you choose to implement, your plan should slow the criminal down, alert you to intruders, and have an adequate response once you have been notified of the security incident. Most of the time, the local police will be your immediate response to a security incident.
If you have found other effective security measures for construction sites, please leave a comment below. Also, if you need assistance with developing an effective security approach for your construction sites, use our contact form to contact us here at Business Security Information.
Basic above mentioned Security measures are the elementary options which has to be taken for minimizing vandalism. But other hi-tech measures can be more effective in order to uproot such theft activities, security cameras with many add-ons are observed to be very effective.