Security is essential on construction sites, protecting the safety of workers, guarding against criminal activity, and ensuring that you meet all relevant health and safety regulations.
Construction site owners/managers have both a legal and moral responsibility to protect the safety of all workers whilst on the premise and having an effective security system in place is vital to achieving this.
Whilst the safety of employees should be the priority of any construction site manager, there are several other reasons why it is important to have a tight, comprehensive security system in place.
Prevent Criminal Activity
Theft and vandalism are a major problem for the construction site industry, with over 20% of UK sites reporting that they are affected by theft on a weekly basis.
Without a powerful intruder prevention system in place, the high value apparatus on your site may be targeted, costing thousands of pounds in replacement and repair costs.
Just some of the attractions of an open construction site to thieves include:
- Materials – Building materials such as copper can be extremely lucrative.
- Equipment – Tools, machinery, vehicles, etc.
- Fuel – Vehicles left on site overnight filled with expensive fuel are a common target of criminal activity.
Being the victim of theft, especially on a semi-regular basis, will not only cost you directly in dealing with the issue but will also have a damaging effect on your reputation, affecting the chance of securing future contracts and shaking stakeholder confidence.
Liability
Since the introduction of the 1984 Occupiers Liability Act, Landowners are not only responsible for the safety of workers on their premises, but also a duty of care for trespassers.
For this reason, it is vital your site has safety precautions in place, and it is impossible for unauthorised individuals to gain access, as any potential injury could come with a substantial cost attached.
Increase Productivity
If workers are content that the risk of being put in danger on your site is low, either from an intruder or as a result of a lack of PPE/faulty equipment, they will be able to concentrate solely on their work without being distracted.
A safe site is a happy site and having a relaxed workforce who are confident that they are protected whilst working on your construction project will help to increase productivity and ensure a high standard of work.
Security methods
What are the most effective security measures that you can put in place to protect a construction site?
CCTV
CCTV is universally used to protect premises from criminal activity and does so extremely effectively.
Installing a CCTV system on your construction site will allow you and your security team to keep an eye on activity across the entire site 24/7.
Mobile CCTV camera acts as a deterrent to many potential intruders who wish to avoid attention, and anyone foolish enough to attempt to access your site will be quickly identified and intercepted using live video surveillance.
CCTV footage can also provide evidence post-incident, helping the police to identify and find the culprit if they escaped undetected and acting as powerful evidence should the case go to court.
Access Control
By having a single point of access to your construction site, manned by trained security guards and fitted with biometric scanners, an ID card-based control system, or similar access control technology, you will be able to keep track of exactly who is on your site at any time, and prevent unauthorised individuals from entering the premises.
Security Guards
Security guards are not only a powerful security measure in their own right, patrolling the site and using their trained eye to spot any signs of suspicious activity, but they will also know exactly how to operate technologies such as CCTV and access control gates.
For major construction projects, SIA accredited security officers really are a must have, and can be combined with canine units to create an even more powerful deterrent to criminals.
Lighting
Ensuring that your construction site is well lit during the night will reduce the number of hiding spots available to intruders, makes your CCTV system much more effective, and assists your security guards when carrying out their duties.
Storage Units
One of the major attractions of construction sites to thieves,is the large quantities of expensive materials left out in the open overnight.
Whilst practicality dictates that all valuable equipment cannot be removed from the site at the end of every working day, having secure storage on the premises can significantly reduce the attractiveness to intruders and reduce the chances of losing expensive assets to vandalism and theft.
Shipping containers are an excellent cost-effective storage method that can easily be removed from the site after the project is complete and will keep valuables out of sight under lock and key when not in use.
