Construction site security tips

Construction sites are highly susceptible to theft and vandalism, with expensive tools, materials, and machinery kept on site at all times.

Having the right security in place is vital to protecting both your workers and your business assets, but building an effective security strategy, and implementing it, is easier said than done.

Here are just a few key tips to keeping your construction site safe, saving your project time, money, and a whole lot of hassle, not to mention the most important task of keeping your staff safe.

We have been protecting construction sites up and down the UK for decades now, and in that time, we have seen almost every situation, location, and project type that you could possibly think of. From construction site CCTV to security guards, and everything in-between we have all the services that anyone in the construction industry could possibly need.

We also have a wealth of knowledge and experience to draw on, and in this article we will share some of the most useful tips and tricks you need to know.

Our top construction site security tips:

Create a plan

Too many construction managers thing that sticking some CCTV cameras around the site and putting up rudimentary fencing is enough to project their sites. Whilst CCTV and fencing are certainly important tools for security, they should make up part of a larger security strategy, designed and developed based on the specific security threats that your site faces.

No two construction sites are the same, and a thorough risk assessment should be carried out before the project begins to identify the security measures that need to be put in place. The best way to ensure that you have a watertight security plan is to consult with a professional security firm. They will not only know exactly what to look for during the risk assessment, spotting things that the untrained eye might miss, but will also have all the tolls to put in place the measures that are recommended. This will save you to stress of finding different suppliers for alarms, CCTV, access control gates etc. and ensure that if anything does go wrong you know exactly who to call.

Some of the most important things to consider when conducting a security risk assessment are the entry and exit points of the site, the type of crime that is commonly committed in the area, whether or not the budget allows for 24/7 manned security or remote monitoring is required, and more.

Install perimeter fencing

Protecting your perimeter is the key to keeping your construction site secure. Simply put, if intruders are unable to get inside the boundary fence, or at least unable to do so without detection, the harm that they can potentially cause is limited significantly.

Of course, temporary fencing is unlikely to be able to stop a determined intruder permanently, but it should pose enough of an obstacle that most will be deterred and any attempts to break-in will be detected and swiftly thwarted.

Make sure that the fencing you choose is robust and a minimum of 2 metres tall, making intruders think twice before attempting to climb over it. Install lighting that illuminates the entire fence line, if possible, use motion detection lighting if needed, and choose a fence that has barbed wire or spikes on top as a further deterrent.

CCTV is essential

No modern business security plan is complete without including CCTV in some form or another. There are many different types of CCTV that can be effective for this purpose, from CCTV towers that can be installed without the need for mains electricity to biometric eye scanners that automatically verify the identity of anyone attempting to access your site.

CCTV has a wide range of different uses and benefits on a construction site. It is not only effective for tackling and deterring thieves and vandals, but also for tracking productivity and keeping staff safe. Employees who feel protects and safe in the workplace will be able to better concentrate on the task at hand, their work, and are much more likely to follow your carefully constructed health and safety protocols if they know their actions may be under surveillance.

Is your security system scalable?

Construction projects are ever growing and it is important that your CCTV, and other security systems can grow alongside it.

Installing a CCTV system that meets your security needs now but won’t in the future, is a huge waste of time and money. This is another area in which mobile CCTV towers thrive as they can be deployed and removed at will with as few or as little on site at any one time as required. If you are unsure how many CCTV towers you need, or where they should be located, contact a local security firm who will be happy to assist you.