Construction theft is one of the most pressing issues for the construction industry, whether it be stealing large equipment, construction materials, or tools. The cost of these items adds up and puts your company in a vulnerable position.
Construction theft, however, can be avoided with prevention methods being implemented. Here are our Top 10 Tips on how to protect & prevent your construction site from theft:
Fencing may seem like a simple solution, but it can be a very effective method for keeping trespassers out of your construction site. The addition of fencing creates a barrier so people cannot get a clear view of your construction site, reducing what may be seen as ‘worth stealing’. Fencing also blocks access to the site, making it a lot more difficult for thieves to get in and out of the site, especially whilst carrying large tools and/or materials.
Storing building materials inside, and therefore out of view, makes it less likely for the resources to be taken. In most cases, if the materials cannot be seen the thieves are not to know if the materials are there at all, making it a much harder target.
At the end of the working day, make sure all tools and equipment are securely locked away in toolboxes, storage containers, or vans. Locking up tools and equipment very simply makes it significantly harder to be seen and stolen. The best way of preventing this however is simply by removing them from the site at the end of the work day, preventing the ability for them to be stolen.
An extremely efficient way of reducing theft is by hiring a third-party security guard to man the site through the nights/days when the construction site is not occupied. The security guard will be able to prevent trespassers from entering whilst also deterring others to do so with the threat of being caught increased.
Although we would like to believe that all our staff are trustworthy, employees are often the main culprits of theft from construction sites. One easy way to try and prevent this is through the hiring process. Adding in employee background checks will allow you to see insights into potential criminal histories, eliminating untrustworthy employees in the long run.
Keeping a strict catalogue of all the materials, machinery, tools, etc, that are used within your construction site makes it significantly easier to determine what has been misplaced. It also helps when making a deterrent for in-house theft and to know what prevention methods are needed moving forward.
Dark spots in a construction site are always vulnerable areas as thieves are less likely to be seen and therefore caught. Having a well-lit site is not only a deterrent for potential trespassers, but also makes it a lot easier to catch thieves in the act.
By scheduling deliveries on an as-needed basis, you reduce the amount of inventory that can be taken, making it ‘not worth it’ for a lot of thieves due to the smaller number of resources present on site. This also makes it a lot easier to lock up and secure inventory at the end of each working day.
As well as keeping track of tools, materials and other resources on-site, you should be monitoring the people who have access to your construction site. Easy ways to do this are through specific employee tracking systems. E.g., Fingerprint Scanning, CSCS Cards, Attendance Logging Systems & Turnstile entrances & exits.
The most effective way of preventing construction site theft is through the use of specialist CCTV solutions. Our solutions include a wide range of CCTV from wired & thermal cameras to Solar Powered cameras. These systems make it easy to catch theft on your construction site in the act and also work well generally as a deterrent to potential trespassers of your site.
Shop our wide range of specialist CCTV solutions below & prevent theft on your construction site today:
https://starfmgroup.co.uk/cctv
