Ways to Bolster Construction Security to Avoid Any Incidents

Have you recently had an uptick in security issues with your construction company? Or maybe you’d like to preemptively strengthen security to avoid any incidents that might pose risks for your site, crew, profits and reputation. Issues like trespassers on your construction site, vandalism or theft of equipment or materials, damage to structures and illegal garbage dumping in your waste bins can cost you money, time and progress on projects.

Thankfully, there are several ways that you can take control of your construction site to keep it safe from anyone with bad intentions. By adding a few simple construction security checklist points to the mix, you can enjoy greater peace of mind.

1. Develop a Job Site Security Plan Before Breaking Ground

It’s wise to develop a solid job security plan that includes doing the following:

• Inventory the number of access points on the construction site property, as well as efforts to minimize authority to use those access points to authorized personnel only at specified times.
• Rely on the use of fencing to keep intruders off the premises.
• Order the installation of padlocks that are designed to prohibit breaking the shackle to secure the gates.

2. Install Construction Site Video Monitoring Cameras

Construction site video monitoring allows you to remotely view your property — whether an apartment complex, large commercial building site or a homebuilder site — and can help protect your business from intrusions, theft and other costly incidents. Construction site security camera rentals are also available, if purchasing isn’t an option. Consider a few key benefits to installing a video monitoring camera at your construction site:

• Deter Intruders from Trespassing –When you install high-quality cameras, and put up easily visible signs at all possible entry points, whether actually meant for official entry or not, you stand a good chance of deterring a criminal from trespassing on your work site.
• View Tough-to-Monitor Spots –At most construction work sites, you are just going to have areas that are difficult to monitor. Place a camera at that point to keep an eye on tricky spots.
• Prevent Theft and Catch Thieves –The main crime committed at construction zones is theft of materials, tools and equipment. With a good camera monitoring system, you can learn when and how thieves are trespassing and stealing from you in order to a) prevent additional theft and b) catch the criminals.
• Provide a Defense for Fraudulent Workers’ Compensation Claims –It is unfortunate that employees sometimes falsify an injury to collect workers’ compensation payments. Such claims only make it more difficult for your business and for those legitimately injured. With cameras in place, you and your legal team can review events as they actually happened to ensure the validity of each claim.

3. Use Plenty of Lighting

Another great deterrent to unlawful after-hours entry is quality lighting. Light towers are the most common lights used by construction companies since they provide quality illumination over a large area, but you have other options, such as balloon lighting, roadway luminaries mounted on temporary poles and high-mast lighting.

By starting, maintaining and regularly updating your construction site checklist for security, you are likely to see great improvements in all of your security goals.