Keeping your jobsite secure is essential in maintaining a successful contracting business. Frequent theft will force you to continuously replace your equipment, driving up your operating costs and compromising the work you perform for your customers. In maintaining good jobsite security, you’ll have to address employee theft as well as theft committed by other parties.
Install a Perimeter Fence
One of the first steps you should take to ensure effective jobsite security is to install a fence around the perimeter of the site. A simple chain link fence is sufficient to outline the site’s perimeter and to establish a visible barrier. Use tarps to cover the fence if you want to obstruct visibility without overspending on this barrier.
It’s important to consider how criminals might approach your fence. Make sure the chain link fence is six feet tall or more and completely surrounds the job site. You can also install barbed wire or razor wire on top of the fence to improve the fence’s effectiveness as a deterrent against criminal activity.
Control Access to Your Site
Your perimeter fence will be more effective if you install access control at each entry point. Connect a card reader to an outdoor gate and door sensor to ensure only authorized personnel enter the facility. Computer software will make adding or removing authorization easy without collecting each card from former employees.
When you need to increase security at access points, you can hire security guards to monitor access points. They can randomly check personnel entering the property to verify the individual’s purpose for entering the property. Using live security guards in combination with security technology will help you maintain better access control.
Keep Your Site Illuminated
Lighting is essential in maintaining jobsite security since criminals are more likely to target dark sites that look abandoned. Keep a light on in your site trailer to make it seem like someone could still be working late at night. Alternatively, you can set a light with a timer. As the light randomly turns on or off, it will seem as though there’s more activity inside the trailer.
Outside, you’ll want to make your equipment a less tempting target by keeping storage areas lit. Connect your exterior lights to an outdoor motion detector. This will keep people and some four-legged pests away from expensive equipment, such as generators and larger equipment.
Protect Your Smaller Tools
You can use jobsite security equipment to protect smaller tools in several ways. Anything you keep in a cabinet or toolbox will stay better protected if you secure the container. Traditional padlocks can be effective for this purpose.
Maintain tighter control over access to toolboxes and storage cabinets by using a mobile smart lock. This type of device will alert you when anyone tries to open the lock. It will also let you control who has access to the storage container or toolbox. A smart lock with a video camera will allow you to record the identity of anyone trying to access these secure areas.
Always Register Your Equipment
Anytime you buy new equipment, complete and submit the registration form. Today, online registration makes this process easier and faster. The registration will help you take advantage of warranty coverage if you happen to buy a defective item.
The registration will help you keep your new equipment secure as well. The registration will record the model and serial numbers of the item you bought. If the item gets stolen and later recovered, authorities will be able to find out that the equipment legally belongs to you. This makes it easier to recover stolen items.
Keep Expensive Equipment Out of Sight
At the end of each day, make sure every tool and piece of machinery has been properly stored away. Each item should have a place in a toolbox, cabinet, or closet. In addition to keeping expensive items locked up at night, this practice will keep those items hidden from view. A jobsite will be a less tempting target if potential thieves don’t see anything worth stealing.
Some equipment might be too large to store. For example, forklifts and other material-handling equipment won’t fit in a closet or cabinet. Park them close to your jobsite trailer if there isn’t an on-site warehouse or industrial building.
Some security tips for your jobsite recommend locking steering wheels with chains and padlocks. Installing video surveillance cameras to specifically protect this equipment will help.
Install Security Cameras at Key Points
Video surveillance cameras are an essential aspect of maintaining strong jobsite security. In addition to using cameras to monitor specific areas or equipment, you should position cameras in key areas throughout the job site. The goal should be to cover as much of the site as possible.
The cameras will allow you to see where unauthorized personnel are accessing your site and capture the identity of the culprits. You can use security cameras as a deterrent by placing them conspicuously throughout the property. Criminals will think twice about trespassing if they see that there are working security cameras recording their every move.
Use Security Equipment You Can Trust
tattletale provides a full range of state-of-the-art security and surveillance equipment. You can use our products to protect your home, an outdoor jobsite, or a commercial business. If you need help choosing the right equipment to meet your unique security needs, contact us today!
