Combining Reactive and Preventative Security For Your Project Site

Are your current construction security strategies lacking? Don’t leave your site vulnerable over the winter months – take action today! 

With the long winter nights well underway, your construction site could be at an increased risk of being targeted by criminals. The construction industry has long attracted vandals and thieves who see the promise of raw materials such as scaffolding and machinery ranging from hand-operated tools to larger construction vehicles with an incredible price tag attached to them. As crazy as it may seem, such valuable items are often left vulnerable on construction sites for hours overnight, days over the weekend or even weeks when bad weather create delays for a project. During this time, thieves could strike at any time – either due to opportunism, or else the result of a premeditated attack. Now is the time to assess the vulnerability of your construction site and take the necessary action. 

Preventative vs Reactive 

There are two approaches to locking down your construction site, but the best strategy is usually a combination of both. A preventative approach is to actively attempt to keep thieves out by erecting large boundary fencing, putting up signs, or playing audio warnings to deter criminals. Both of these may be effective in keeping out some criminals, but the more determined could possibly still find a way to get in, which is where reactive security comes in. 

Construction site CCTV is an effective example of reactive security – cameras will watch over your entire site, ensuring that there are no blind spots. The feed will be watched remotely from a dedicated monitoring station. If there is a security incident, an alert will be triggered and your security team will watch live footage of the event to determine if your construction site is genuinely under attack. At this stage, responders will be sent to your site, often in under half an hour. They will have been trained to assess the site and can deal with the threat backed up by the local authorities. 

Deciding The Best Security Strategy for Your Site 

If you feel that your current construction security practices fall short of ideal, then it’s time to conduct an honest survey of your site. In your appraisal, it’s important to be overly cautious and consider every possible access point into your site, including loose fencing, entry via an adjacent property, and even being aware of the possibility of internal threats. Knowing exactly who is working on your construction site at any point and keeping an eye on access privileges as well as the times that your team clock in and out should also form a key part of your strategy. 

Where budget is a concern, you’ll likely need to avoid cost-heavy security practices such as 24/7 site patrols and opt instead for remote monitoring which is far more affordable whilst being highly effective. 

As a construction site owner or manager, if you’re worried about the vulnerability of your site, the next step is to contact a specialist security firm to carry out a full assessment and advise you on the best course of action both for this project and for any others in the pipeline.