Protecting Your Construction Site This Christmas

The festive season is well upon us and all over the UK construction sites are preparing to shut down for the Christmas break. The long dark nights and poor winter weather conditions typical of January and February, where plummeting temperatures, rain, snow ice and high winds can all result in further temporary shut downs at the construction site.

Unfortunately, it is during this time that the construction site is at its most vulnerable and at greatest risk of falling prey to theft or vandalism –  the UK’s most common criminal attacks on the construction site. Construction is an extremely high value industry. Many sites contain high value plant, materials, equipment and fuel, making them a prime target for criminals – something which costs the industry millions of pounds every year due to the loss of material or equipment as well as the subsequent disruption caused to ongoing works and schedules. Not to mention the stress caused to site owners and managers.

The act of vandalism and theft can also lead to damage which has the potential to injure on-site personnel, such as ripping out or damaging fixtures which results in exposed or unsafe wiring.

An Easy Target

The construction site is often considered an easy target by criminals, one of the main reasons for this is the lack of adequate security measures. Sites also change significantly as projects develop, affecting not only the landscape of the site itself, but also the work force and equipment. New people may be brought into perform specific tasks, different materials and equipment may also be brought in with differing values, all of which makes it more challenging to monitor and control activity.

Preventative Measures

Good planning and adequate preventative measures can help protect against the theft and damage of valuable construction tools and materials.

Illumination

A well-lit site at night, and especially during the darker months of the year, will not only act as a deterrent to opportunist thieves and vandals, it will also make it easier to spot and subsequently identify any intruders.

Surveillance

CCTV combined with good lighting is not only an excellent deterrent but also an invaluable resource when it comes to investigating site break-ins. Mobile surveillance units provide an ideal solution to construction sites which may change form significantly during the development of any project. Video monitoring and cameras can also be used at entry points to the site, providing a record of all vehicles entering and leaving the site.

Alarms

Loud alarms typically cause intruders to panic and flee, hopefully before they’ve had time to do anything – whereas a silent alarm will alert the police directly without the intruders knowing anything about it.

Perimeter Control

Perimeter fencing and all entry points should be as robust and secure as possible and include visible signs warning that access is prohibited and CCTV is in use. When the site is closed for a longer period, such as during the Christmas break, it may be useful to put in place an additional concrete barrier at access points, making entry for intruders with vehicles even more challenging.

Store Valuables Effectively

All valuables and keys should be safely locked up in a secure out of sight location when there is nobody on-site.

Security Guards On-Site and Remote

24 hour guarding is often used for larger sites, for smaller sites however, a mobile patrol or even a security dog may suffice. In some cases, the use of a remote guard may be a good option – this method can be highly effective, as security sweeps using surveillance technology are much quicker than a physical patrol.

Merry Christmas from everyone at AT Wilde & Son.