To the untrained eye, your construction site might look like a pile of dirt and rebar. To a potential thief or vandal, it seems like the perfect place to find valuable items of resale or a blank slate for their next spray-paint masterpiece.
A construction Site Security Plan is so important that If you don’t properly secure your construction site, you run the risk of experiencing several issues, from stolen and damaged materials and equipment to arson.
How do you secure a construction site? How do you protect it from trespassers and criminals? Find out below.
Conduct a Security Assessment
Knowing where to start when securing your site can be tricky if you don’t first identify its weak points. Conducting a security assessment allows you to see your construction site through someone else’s eyes. Get a Free Estimate Today
A professional can walk through the area and point out potential issues that increase your risk of being a victim of a crime. For example, they might point out that your fence is easy to climb or that you have lots of expensive equipment lying out in the open and ripe for the taking.
Get to Know Your Crew
When you’re managing a big construction job, getting to know everyone working on the site is not always possible. However, if you can, try to get to know the people working for you.
Ideally, you’ll do this before you actually hire them. Conducting background checks on your crew members gives you a chance to see if anyone has a history of robbery, vandalism, arson, or other problematic crimes on their record.
It’s true that running background checks takes time and costs money. Remember, though, that replacing stolen equipment or getting your project back on track after someone vandalized the site takes more time and costs more money. A Contractor’s Loss Prevention Guide
Create a Secure Access Policy
The easier it is for random people to walk onto your construction site, the more vulnerable it is to theft and other crimes.
Before you start a new construction project, take some time to create and implement a secure access policy. For example, you might give every crew member a swipe card or badge that grants them access to the site.
Using cards or badges helps you keep track of who enters and leaves the site (and when). As a bonus, they can also help with time tracking and ensure everyone gets paid properly.
Use Lockable Boxes and Shipping Containers
If your construction site is disorganized, it’s hard to know when an item goes missing — until someone starts looking for it and realizes it’s nowhere to be found.
Furthermore, if you don’t establish a secure location for everything on the site, valuable items will get left out in the open and more likely to be stolen.
Make sure every item on your construction site has its own place.
Purchase lockable boxes (such as gang boxes) and make sure tools and other pieces of equipment get locked in them every night. Consider using shipping containers for heavy machinery instead of leaving cranes and bulldozers out overnight.
Be particular about who gets the keys to storage boxes and containers. Only share them with people you feel confident you can trust.
Add Motion-Activated Lights
A dark construction site in the middle of the night is very inviting to potential trespassers, from thieves looking for items to resell to teenagers with too much time and too little supervision.
If your job site is well-lit, it’ll be more challenging for people to get away with trespassing and stealing from you or damaging your equipment.
Install motion-activated lights across the construction zone. That way, if someone is wandering around the site at night, it’ll be easier to catch them.
Install a Fence
Fences are a simple yet effective tool for keeping trespassers out. They also ensure that only those who are supposed to enter the construction site do so.
A simple chainlink fence does a great job of securing your construction site. However, if you want to up the ante with extra protection, consider an electric fence or a fence with barbed wire running along the top.
These additional safeguards create another obstacle for trespassers. They’re relatively inexpensive, too, especially when you compare their price tag to the cost of theft, vandalism, arson, and other crimes.
Hire Security Guards
You might also want to hire a team of security guards to patrol your construction site after hours and deter people from trespassing.
Look specifically for security guards who have experience monitoring construction sites and understand where the most vulnerable areas are located.
Having trained personnel on the property gives you peace of mind and ensures that, if someone tries to break in, the police get notified right away. These guards can also provide an eyewitness account of what happened. Get a Free Estimate Today
Use Surveillance Cameras
Installing surveillance cameras allows you to have multiple sets of “eyes” on your job site at all times.
Strategically placing cameras throughout the area ensures that vulnerable areas are protected around the clock. The cameras also record and store footage of the site that you can reference at any time — and share with the authorities or insurance companies as needed.
Also, remember that professionally monitored security cameras provide the benefits of a security guard without having someone physically present at the job site. Many cameras are monitored by trained security experts who can alert the authorities immediately if anything questionable happens.
You never have to worry about monitored surveillance cameras falling asleep on the job (unlike security guards). They also cost less over time than paying a guard an hourly wage. Get a Free Estimate Today
How to Choose Security Cameras for Construction Sites
Surveillance cameras can help you feel confident that your job site is protected at all times, including overnight and on major holidays. With so many different security cameras out there, though, it can be hard to know which ones to choose.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the various camera types and styles, start by looking for equipment that includes the following features and benefits:
24-Hour Surveillance
You need security cameras for construction sites that monitor the area 24 hours a day.
It’s great to monitor the site in the evening and overnight when no one is around (this is the time when most crimes occur). However, it also helps to monitor during the daytime in case someone on your crew is stealing from you.
Twenty-four-hour surveillance covers you at all times and provides round-the-clock peace of mind.
Professional Monitoring
It’s good to have security cameras with 24-hour recording features. It’s even better to have security cameras that are professionally monitored during the most critical hours (from 6 pm to 6 am). Get a Free Estimate Today
Professional monitoring provides additional protection. It also saves you from having to monitor your site yourself when you’d rather be doing other things, like sleeping or spending time with your family.
Loud Speakers
You should also look for cameras with built-in loudspeakers.
These speakers can play pre-recorded audio clips that catch an intruder’s attention and let them know they’ve been caught. The professional surveillance team can also use the loudspeaker to “talk down” to intruders directly and tell them they’re trespassing.
Customized Camera Layout
As a construction manager, you know that every job site is unique. That’s why you need a customized camera layout for each location.
Work with surveillance companies that will meet with you and identify the best places to set up cameras.
When they understand the scope of your project and your specific security concerns, they can help you make the best decisions to protect your site while also staying within your preferred price range.
Fast, Simple Installation
If you’ve decided that you want to install cameras, don’t work with a company that makes you wait days or even weeks to get your equipment and set it up.
The best surveillance professionals have technical teams who can install your cameras within 24 hours of you placing an order. Get a Free Estimate Today
Transparent Pricing
You run into enough surprises as a construction manager, from increases in material costs to customers changing their minds at the last minute. You don’t also need surprises from your security camera provider.
Look for a team that offers transparent pricing, exact product and service descriptions, and flat monthly fees.
You deserve to always know what you’re paying and what you’re getting in exchange for that price. This understanding helps you budget correctly and manage your finances more efficiently.
Install Construction Job Site Cameras Today
A multifaceted approach is the best way to secure a construction site and keep it safe from thieves, vandals, and other trespassers. However, professionally monitored surveillance cameras will give you the most bang for your buck of all the security tactics discussed in this guide.
Are you looking for high-quality, versatile security cameras with great storage and an affordable price tag? If so, Mobile Video Guard is here for you.
Reach out today for more information about our cameras and surveillance services or to get a free quote for your construction site.
