Construction site theft is a growing problem, some even consider it as an industry-wide epidemic. The theft of building materials, tools and heavy equipment has always been a problem and it doesn’t seem to be getting better, even with the ability to implement security systems and web cameras on sites. The reason - in order to protect your job site, you need a well thought strategy that incorporates several security measures. Covering only one aspect is almost never enough.
After all, protecting your equipment saves you time and money. Besides the direct cost of replacing all stolen items, one must think about the indirect costs - increased insurance premiums and rental costs. In addition to all that you have lost of productivity and time and delaying the project brings up many more issues that no one wants to deal with.
Even though there are no concrete numbers, experts estimate the losses from construction site theft to go over $1 billion annually.
If you want to avoid construction theft and don’t want to be part of this costly statistic, you might want to consider some of the following tactics:
Keep your job site well-lit during off hours as well
Be present and make sure your employees know you are aware and informed of the day-to-day activities and their accomplishments
Keep site locked and secure after hours to keep people out - supervisory personnel only should control keys
Keep all tools and equipment locked up in a secure location
Set up an alarm system to notify the police in case of break-ins
Set up video surveillance on entrances and exits and inside the job site
Have security on staff for additional protection
Always keep your tool inventory up-to-date
Install GPS tracking system on the valuable and heavy equipment
Schedule deliveries on an as-needed basis
Don’t overstock equipment, order only as many as you need at a time
Keep records - document serial numbers of equipment for insurance purposes
Track usage of tools by having employees sign them off of where tools belong and make sure that you have surveillance there
Track arrival and departure of employees
Only hire craftsmen with background checks to minimize risk of convenience theft
CFS will be more than happy to provide you with additional tips and tricks on how to keep your job site safe. We even can help you out with some aspects. And remember - all our employees are pre-screened and field tested. We provide them with the needed PPE and depending on their trade, they bring their own tools to the job.
