Anyone who works within the construction industry understands the challenges of protecting their site from crime. With valuable equipment and building materials on offer, construction sites are a well-liked, and profitable target for criminals and intruders, with construction theft costing the industry an estimated £750m annually.
If you’re employed within the industry, there’s a high chance you’ve already experienced construction theft first-hand. It’s estimated that 90% of construction workers have experienced theft, with upwards of 20% saying it’s a weekly occurrence on their site. These stats reflect the scale of the problem of theft and will be concerning for site managers and project leaders, especially given the financial and reputational consequences of theft and vandalism.
That’s why reliable construction security is so important. Taking the proper security measures can deter criminals from targeting your site and help safeguard your people, equipment, and materials from crime, theft, and vandalism. So, whether you’re starting your construction security from scratch or looking to boost your current security, here are 10 things you can do to enhance your construction site security.

Start with a Risk Assessment

Working within the construction industry, you’ll most likely have experienced many risk assessments in your time. When it involves security provision, however, it’s best you approach a dedicated security service provider. Your security provider can create details risk assessments considering both Construction and security within one report. Additional it would be a requirement of the security provider to ensure all workers have been briefed and received a copy of the risk assessment allowing you to focus on other site duties.
This will help shine light onto any vulnerable areas, which could otherwise leave your construction site vulnerable to intruders. you’ll be able to then implement extra measures across these exposed areas based on your site security’s report, ensuring these vulnerabilities are addressed.

Hire Security Guards

Despite all the advancements in security technology, hiring construction security guards remains one in every of the simplest ways to discourage criminals from targeting your site. Most of the time, criminals and intruders are opportunistic; they select easy targets where there’s minimal risk of getting caught.

Having a physical security presence on your site immediately ups the danger level for criminals and means there’s a high chance they’ll get caught out. Security guards can be deployed any time, day or night, ensuring there’s always someone readily available to protect your assets & your site from criminals. It’s essential that your chosen security guards have an SIA licensed; it’s a legal requirement and an indication of quality of service.

Mobile Security

Construction sites can often be large, open areas with lots of places for intruders to cover. It may be hazardous to walk the perimeter on foot. If that’s the case for your construction site, it might be worth considering a mobile security solution.
Here, SIA licensed security guards will move around your construction site, either on foot or during a security vehicle. this can make sure that every inch of your construction site is thoroughly guarded- hindering the ability of intruders to steal your construction materials or cause damage through vandalism.

Install CCTV

Construction sites are perhaps at their most vulnerable when left vacant. Installing CCTV surveillance on your construction site ensures there’s always an additional pair of eyes on your site. When paired with 24/7 CCTV monitoring, CCTV not only provides vital evidence after the very fact but may also be wont to help intervene in crimes as they’re happening if you have hired, or the security provider uses alarm response units.

For construction sites, temporary CCTV solutions will be deployed, often battery powered so no wiring is needed, ensuring the system can provide protection during the project but may be easily removed once they aren’t any longer needed. Some CCTV cameras may also provide a time-lapse function, allowing you to record the progress of your construction project.

Fence off Perimeters

For any construction site, keeping out intruders and criminals is completely essential. this is often where security fencing comes into play, allowing you to secure the perimeter of your construction site. Fencing can help to stop unauthorized people from gaining access to your site its equipment and materials.

There’s an abundant range of security fencing options available, from temporary to specialized security fencing for construction sites and noise-reducing barriers. Temporary fencing is simple to deploy and might even be adjusted as your project expands, ensuring that your site always has the projection it needs.

Control Access

Constructions sites are often busy spaces where people come and go. Whilst keeping out intruders is important to keeping your site safe, authorized parties must be able to enter and exit . this can be true for both your site workers, also as any external parties like delivery drivers.

But how are you able to distinguish between authorized and unauthorized visitors?

This is where access control solutions can help maintain site security. Whether you choose for a high-tech solution or a manned option, an access control solution will make sure that your workers can easily enter the site, whilst intruders are kept out.

Install Lights

Night-time is an especially vulnerable time for your construction project; it’s both quiet and dark, providing ample opportunity for criminals to move into your site and steal equipment and materials. Installing lighting ensures that your site is usually brightly lit- even during the night and early mornings. Not only will this help to discourage criminals, but it’ll also help to forestall accidents caused by dark conditions.

Temporary lighting solutions are ideally suited to construction sites and might be deployed and removed easily. you’ll also consider motion-sensor lights, which are triggered by movement, to assist any on-site security detect intruders.

Lock Up Equipment or Material

Both construction equipment and building materials are profitable items- and are a selected favorite amongst thieves. To further assist your site from being targeted by criminals, lock & secure any equipment or materials before you allow your site staff to leave. Storage containers or temporary sheds are often deployed on construction sites with relative ease, providing an area for you to lock up handheld tools and building materials.

this will greatly reduce the desirability of your site and put an additional barrier between your valuables and the criminals. you’ll be able to also pair this with further security measures like CCTV, motion-sensor lights, or security guards for a further layer of protection for your equipment.

Consider Dog Handlers

If you’re constructing in a vicinity that’s known for prime levels of theft or break-ins, you’ll want to think about an additional K9unit to your security team. Dog Handling Services allows you to utilize the strength and capabilities of our canine partners to support your operational deployments paired with experienced handlers, who are often SIA licensed guards themselves,

Hire Welfare Units

Whilst our last suggestion is a not necessarily security and more health and safety, hiring welfare units is nevertheless essential for both the wellbeing of your staff.

By law, all construction projects must provide adequate sanitary conveniences, washing facilities, portable changing rooms and lockers and facilities for rest; welfare units make complying with these regulations simple, offering everything your site and employees need in one handy, portable unit.