It’s sad to say but these days, the UK construction industry is seeing a rise in the number of thefts from sites left unattended and unsecured. It’s a costly business if you have to constantly keep replacing equipment, tools and machinery which have literally been ‘nicked’ from a building site.
So what measures can construction companies take to mitigate the risk of theft from their sites? The most effective step is to hire a security guard from a reputable company such as RGM in Swansea. By using the services of a specialist security company, you can have access to security guards on an ad hoc or retained basis, depending on your needs and how long you are actively working on a specific site. This makes using a security guards a very affordable option as well as providing a proven deterrent for potential thieves.
Professional Security Guards
Most importantly, it will always be far more cost effective to employ a security guard than to replace stolen equipment, which can also have in impact on productivity through delays in re-ordering new items.
Companies that provide security guards are ideally placed to recommend the most appropriate personnel to work on a construction site based on experience and knowledge of the industry sector. It’s important to ensure that the guard or guards you are planning to employ hold SIA (Security Industry Authority) licences and have undergone relevant checks such as DRB.
Protecting Plant and Equipment
No matter what the size of your building site, it’s likely to have in place thousands of pounds worth of equipment. So construction companies in a way need to act like a bank and ensure they have security measures in place to protect their assets.
For example, most construction sites use heavy equipment to carry out the building work and it’s totally unfeasible to move this machinery off site every day to a secure building. This means that any construction site is highly vulnerable to becoming the target of thieves. And there have instance of those who are bold and brazen enough to break in and drive the equipment away – and imagine the cost of replacing these expensive machines?
Plant, machinery and other equipment can be chained to another structure for example or bolted to the ground. But these measures can cause further problems and delays if keys are lost or employee key holders are late or working on other sites. In other words, though some of these measures may work in the short term, for the longer term and complete peace of mind, you can’t beat using the services of a security guard to keep an eye on the site whilst work is in progress or when everyone else has gone home (which is the most vulnerable time).
In addition to plant and machinery theft, construction sites are prime targets for burglars due to an increase in value of some specific building materials such as copper wiring which has increased considerably in value over the past few years. If you’re in the middle of a new build and elements of the copper wiring have been installed but are still exposed, then this is a huge temptation for thieves to cut away and sell on to scrap dealers.
Routine Security Inspections
One of the key duties of a security guard is to carry out routine inspections around the perimeter of the site by walking or riding to check on any signs of suspicious activity. If any form of security alarms has been installed, the guard is also on hand within seconds to deal with any situation and alert the police.
Professional security guards will also be responsible for presenting security reports for the time they are on site. These reports will include any out of the ordinary observations they may have noted or any incidents that may have occurred whilst they were on duty. Depending on the size of the construction site and nature of the project, some security guards will simply be required to be static, staying in one place and generally monitoring the coming and going of employees, sub-contractors and other visitors. Others, particularly on larger sites, will be required to be mobile, particularly if they are on their own at night time.
Hiring the Right Security Guards
Once you understand the importance of keeping your building site safe by employing security guards, you need to make sure that you hire from a company with an established reputation and who understand your construction site requirements.
At RGM, when we meet with construction companies they always urge them to note down their specific requirements including the size of the site, whether there is a requirement for a guard or guards day and night, if they need static or mobile guards (or even both) and for how long they will need the guards for within reason. Armed with this information, we are able to provide an accurate quote over the desired timescale, with the understanding of course that buildings works can, and often do, overrun.
We would urge all construction companies to review their on-site security and if they have any doubts about what they already have in place or have experienced theft from their sites already, to contact the team at RGM Security today.
