Do you have a large-scale construction site with tons of building materials, tools, and specialized equipment lying around? If so, that means there are tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of stuff on your building site.
And since it often takes months to finish a big project, this stuff is sitting around for a long time. Not only do you want to keep things from being stolen or damaged by thieves or kids looking to cause a ruckus, but you also want to keep people safe. If there ever was an incident on your site then it's very likely that a construction accident attorney would become involved as they would be fighting to win compensation on behalf of the injured party. For obvious reasons, you would want this to be avoided at all costs.
Allowing people on site who are not trained for construction work, and not wearing proper safety gear such as hard hats, boots, and safety gloves like these cut resistant / nitrex / reusable gloves from Unigloves, can be a liability and cause some serious injury.
This is why you need to secure your building site so that only qualified personnel can access it. You can do this by requiring credentials and identifications upon entry and providing visitors and employees with only one access point for security monitoring. Limiting access to the place allows you to regulate traffic from and to the location, which is important in spotting any persons with no authorized access.
On the other hand, are you still wondering what the most effective ways are to keep your site secure? Keep reading to discover the top ways to keep unwanted guests out.
Jump to:
Why You Need To Secure Your Building Site
On a construction site, you're bound to find tons and tons of building materials. This can include huge items such as drywall, plywood, or pipes. It can also be small items such as screws and tools.
And since you are probably hiring subcontractors to complete a lot of the work, they are also bringing their own gear to the site. If they are working on-site for weeks or months at a time, they aren't going to want to pack up all their stuff each day, so they are going to leave it there.
However, thieves know that there are plenty of valuables on construction sites. Even simple items such as drills or saws can be sold for a decent amount of money. This is especially true since most construction professionals have the highest quality tools, which often cost hundreds or thousands of dollars.
Protecting all of this stuff from theft is just one reason to invest in security for your building site. As mentioned earlier, keeping unqualified personnel off the site will also reduce the risk of injury as well as the possibility of lawsuits.
If neighborhood kids can easily access the site and play games like hide-and-seek, and someone falls into a hole or steps on a nail, you can bet their parents aren't going to be happy and could pursue legal action for not securing your building site.
So don't take the chance. Invest in proper security. Here's how.
1. Add A Perimeter Fence
One of the most basic yet most effective ways to secure a building site is with a perimeter fence. Most often, these are temporarily installed chain link fences that fully enclose the building site.
They can come with solid cloth attached to them to keep the contents of the building site private, preventing peeping toms from seeing what type of equipment is lying around.
Having a fence around your building site also offers the opportunity to hang signs up. These can be simple no-trespassing signs, which will help provide legal protection for your site. You can also hang signs to advertise your company or that of the building project sponsors.
If the building site requires even tighter security, a fence with barbed wire can also be installed to prevent people from climbing over. That way, the only way in is through the entrance, which can be locked or guarded at all times. Check out this company to learn more about temporary commercial fences.
2. Invest In An Office Intercom System
Another way to secure your building site is by installing an office intercom system. It refers to an electronic device used for one-way or two-way communications. It enables people in close proximity to the office to communicate more effectively with one another.
But aside from being a mode of communication, investing in office intercoms also comes with security benefits. For instance, this system can help ensure that everyone entering your building site is safe. If you choose the video version of the intercom system, you can take advantage of the security surveillance of any person going inside your office. You can provide visitors with a temporary PIN ID to access the site based on their appointment.
Moreover, most innovative intercom systems have buzzers that your employees and visitors can push to gain access to the building site. Hence, if you only employ one person in the reception area, installing an intercom system in your building can help prevent unauthorized and malicious visitors from intruding.
With all of this said, it's clear why office intercom systems are a must-have security device for your building sites.
3. Use Security Cameras
Installing a surveillance camera system on your job site is also super easy and cost-effective. You can use DIY cameras that you can set up at each of your job sites temporarily.
Or you can have a professional come out and set up a custom security system if you know this project is going to take a long time.
The benefit of cameras is that you can be alerted when it detects activity after hours. So rather than waiting until the next day to find out that there's been an intrusion, you can find out right away and alert the authorities.
Another benefit of cameras is that should you experience any crime, the footage you've collected can help authorities track down criminals to help prevent future break-ins.
You can also hire a virtual security guard whose job is to watch all of the live feeds from your security cameras. That way, they can quickly scan the entire property, ensuring there is no unauthorized activity.
With this person in place, they can often catch minor movements that motion detection cameras miss. Plus, it's cheaper than hiring a physical security guard, as all they have to do is sit in a safe, comfortable room and watch the live feeds.
4. Hire A Security Guard
Having a security guard on premise at all times may be expensive, but it's going to be the most effective way to keep people out. They'll be able to walk around the entire site on an ongoing basis, ensuring that nobody who shouldn't be there is there.
You can have a team of guards who take shifts, ensuring your site has 24/7 protection. Or you can just hire a security guard for the evening, protecting the site when no construction crews are on site.
5. Lights, Please
Keeping areas lit up at night will help prevent people from breaking in. No criminal wants to be illuminated, so if they are trying to access your job site, they will do so in dark areas.
Having temporary construction lighting on at night time can help deter crime before it even begins. Having lights on inside the job site can also make it look like work crews are still present and working.
6. Don't Skimp On Security
Security is mandatory for your building site. Not only will it keep your equipment and building materials safe from damage or theft, but it will keep the integrity of your company secure. It will keep other people safe and prevent you from having to deal with police reports or lawsuits.
Takeaway
Don't mess around when it comes to construction sites. Invest in the proper security upfront, and you'll save money, time, and frustration down the road.
Looking for other helpful articles like this? Check out more on our blog today.
Leave a Reply