No matter what industry you trade in, reliable security systems are essential to provide your business, and your staff, with a safe, stable working environment.
Construction sites face the same security risks as most businesses, but there are additional challenges too. With heavy machinery, expensive equipment, and temporary fencing around, how can you be sure that your people, property and assets are secure on your construction site? The first step is to understand all the construction site security risks, use that knowledge to educate your staff, and develop a security plan.
7 Construction Site Security Risks That Need Your Attention
Before you can take action, it’s important to be aware of the security risks that may be present on your construction site. Once you’ve identified the factors that could compromise your construction site security, then you can come up with a plan to combat them!
1. Trespassing
Perhaps the most obvious risk on a construction site is the risk of trespassing. Your site is likely in an area that the public can access easily, and temporary fences can, unfortunately, be moved or climbed with relative ease.
If it’s possible, and practical, to upgrade your fencing – this can be a big help! Switching to something taller, more difficult to move, or adding barbed wire along the top of your existing fencing can help to deter unwanted visitors and, of course, checking it regularly for any damage or wear and tear is a must.
2. Theft
With tools and machinery often left overnight on construction sites, once someone has gained access to your site, there’s a good chance they’ll pick up whatever they can easily carry to sell for a quick buck.
To prevent theft, encourage your staff to take home their tools at the end of each day, and set up secure areas, or lock boxes onsite where tools can be left, if needed. Remind staff to take keys out of vehicles when not in use, and leave them in a secure place, or with the operator, and install cameras.
Additionally, you could consider adding GPS trackers to higher value assets so that, if they do get taken, they can be recovered quickly, to avoid downtime onsite.
3. Vandalism
Another crime that often takes place on construction sites is vandalism. Whether it’s defacing surfaces, or causing physical damage to machinery and infrastructure, vandalism can be time-consuming to fix after the fact, and push out your deadlines.
Setting up a secure perimeter and putting vulnerable equipment out of sight may help to prevent vandals, and adding motion-activated lighting to your site could help to spook anyone that comes near.
4. Fire
Whether it’s intentionally lit, or an accidental fire, the risk is the same. Any fire on your construction site needs to be put out as quickly as possible to avoid putting people and property in danger.
While a monitored security system is a great start to help minimise this risk, you can’t beat having a team onsite to respond in these situations. Our static security guards are trained to deal with emergency situations, they may be able to extinguish a fire before it becomes a serious concern, or they’ll be able to call 111 and get firefighters out as quickly as possible, so that the damage to your construction site is minimal.
5. Violence
On any job site, there’s always a risk of arguments breaking out. While most arguments are simple misunderstandings and should be able to be resolved quickly, there is a risk that a disagreement could escalate to physical violence. Having a security team at your construction site could help to de-escalate these situations, before they come to blows. Our security guards remain calm under pressure and are expert communicators.
Additionally, if you have staff or contractors working at a construction site after hours, and an unwelcome visitor enters the site, there could be the risk of physical violence. Having a construction site security team there to prevent intruders from entering, ask them to leave, or to call the police, will keep your most valuable asset – your people – safe 24/7.
6. Sabotage
Depending on what kind of construction project you are working on, sabotage might be a concern.
You want your completed construction to be fit for purpose, and safe for many years to come, so you need to ensure nothing goes awry while it’s been worked on. Security guards can help to keep an eye out for any suspicious behaviour, and cameras can help, in the event something does happen, so that you can determine the extent of the sabotage and rectify the situation.
7. Accidents
The last, but certainly not the least concerning security risk on a construction site is the danger of accidents.
Construction can be a dangerous business, and personal safety should be a priority on every job site. Having open conversations with everyone onsite, installing security systems, and hiring security staff can help minimise accidents, and make it easier to deal with them when they happen. All of our security teams are first-aid trained, and ready to spring into action in an emergency.
We can’t avoid the reality that construction sites often fall victim to crimes such as break-ins, vandalism and thefts. While it can be difficult to keep some sites secure due to incomplete fencing and poor security systems, it’s still possible to secure your site, and it’s worth it to keep your people, and your assets, safe. You could invest in security equipment onsite, reach out to the local community and encourage them to report any suspicious activity to the appropriate authorities, and you could hire static security guards, or mobile patrol security.
While this may have helped open your eyes to potential risks at your construction site, if you’re unsure what the best next step for your business is, let’s talk! At Frontline Security, we’ve been keeping construction sites secure since 2015. Our team are experienced, and professional, and they can help you to ensure you hit the nail on the head with your construction site security.