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CONSTRUCTION SITE
SECURITY

Professional Construction Site Security is more vital than ever, with serious issues posed by criminal behaviour. At Prime Secure, we offer a range of effective services to ensure your construction site and project is kept safe from theft and vandalism.

CONSTRUCTION SITE
SECURITY

Construction Sites are an important and common sight in the modern world. They are also unfortunately some of the most vulnerable. The relatively open nature of construction sites makes them frequent targets for crime. Theft and Vandalism are some of the biggest issues facing Construction Companies in the UK. It has been estimated some £400 million pounds worth of loses are incurred every year by the Construction Industry as the result of theft and vandalism (some estimates put this as being as high as £800 million). This has the impact of seriously reducing business growth. Worse, many criminals will return to the same site multiple times – resulting in further theft.

At Prime Secure, we provide security guards and other security personnel, CCTV, access control systems and more. All these security solutions are somewhat undermined if you do not have an effective security perimeter in place, to begin with.

This doesn’t just include the loss of valuable materials (a common target for opportunistic thieves). Losses result from the loss of expensive equipment, and the disruption of work and necessity for maintenance, and in the worst cases even loss of life due to the disruption of hazardous materials. The resulting loss of time and progress damages morale and makes work much harder.

The best way to protect a construction site is using a comprehensive programme of security designed to protect against intrusion from vandals and thieves alike, ensuring work progresses smoothly. By going with the team at Prime Secure, you can create a comprehensive programme suited for your property using measures such as CCTV Cameras, Security Guard services, and access point control.

In this article we’ll discuss some of the specific threats that face construction sites, and the best means to rectify them.

Threats to Construction Sites

Criminal activities which result from unauthorised entry into a site presents several specific worries. These include threats to:
Property and Materials: Theft is one of the biggest issues facing British Construction Sites; it has been estimated £800 million is lost by the British Construction Industry every year because of construction projects being subject to theft. This includes the loss of stolen goods like raw materials, workers possessions, tools, and expensive plant equipment. This is not to mention fuel theft. Construction sites face fuel theft as a growing problem. Not only does this increase (often already high) insurance premiums, but it damages site morale, and can seriously delate work.
To Human Health: Trespassers and thieves endanger both themselves and others when illicitly accessing a site. Trespassers who damage equipment or fixtures can create unsafe environments for workers, while other deliberate acts of vandalism and sabotage such as arson can seriously endanger human life (as well as the property itself). This is not to mention that those who illicitly gain access often do not know the proper safety measures, and themselves can end up hurting themselves.
To Operations: Disruption that results from vandalism, theft, and other criminal activity on site can seriously damage the progress of construction work. This disruption is known for causing millions in loses every year.
Without the application of effective construction site security, construction sites are likely to suffer theft and vandalism. Furthermore, Criminals will often target the same site repeatedly if they see it is vulnerable, while can result in serious delays and badly impact business growth.

Essentials for Security

Construction Sites are varied environments with different needs for safety and security. How you will protect your site will often come down to the specific needs of the site itself.

At the same time there’s still measures which are universal.

A risk assessment process should always be carried out. Risk assessments and risk analysis document an overview of any potential risks or health and safety-hazards on a site, as well as what measures and appropriate action should be taken to control them. There is also a record of those are responsible. Risk assessments are vital for ensuring a team on a construction site can work safely.

Limiting access is another vital programme which is necessary for any construction site. Many accidents and incidents result from people wandering onto sites purely by accident, while theft and vandalism often result from a construction site being easy to access. Limiting access will ensure intruders and unmarked vehicles cannot easily slip in.

A comprehensive security solution will often involve a mix of different security measures to guarantee protection against a range of different problems.

Security Measures

We can divide different types of security systems on a construction site into two categories: Physical and Operational.

Physical Security Measures

Physical Security involves measures which directly support Construction Site infrastructure

CCTV

CCTV (Closed Circuit Television) is by far one of the most effective security systems on the market. CCTV a fantastic deterrent to criminal behaviour, as many criminals will know the danger for prosecution if caught by CCTV. If a crime does occur, CCTV is guaranteed to ensure those responsible are caught and prosecuted to the full extent of the law by providing evidence.

Prime Secure offers modern CCTV systems which come with a slew of innovative features that make them incredibly effective, including security lights to illuminate intruders, night, and low-light vision. They are also equipped with Remote Monitoring and Remote Access. With Prime Secure remote monitoring services, your Cameras feeds are watched 24/7 by a team of security professionals, who’ll alert you (and the authorities) to any suspicious activity or behaviour on site. Live CCTV imaging guarantees a quick police response, or our own manned guarding service. Remote Access means you’re always access the video feed of your CCTV systems to see what’s happening on your construction site.

CCTV isn’t just fantastic for security; it is also fantastic for improving site efficiency, with you able to constantly check in on the progress of a project. The extensive recordings are fantastic for helping with Construction Site Risk Assessment and helping to prevent future accidents.

As security solutions, Prime Secures CCTV systems – including innovative CCTV Towers, are the best choice on the market for keeping your property safe.

Alarms

Alarms are another common measure for construction site security. The visible presence of Alarms alone is often an effective deterrent, as many criminals have no wish to attract attention to themselves.

Even if alarms do not prevent criminals from attempting illegal behaviour, they are effective in that they will ensure a quick response. Alarms can be used to send out an alert to the police, or to any manned security services or mobile patrols you have on site.

Prime Secure offer Alarms which are a versatile, cost effective, and modern approach to security. They can easily be integrated with services like CCTV. Using video verified alarms means any alarm which goes off to be cross referenced with video footage. Prime Secure also offers Alarm receiving services, a popular option for many security sites. A triggered alarm alerts a professional team at an Alarm Receiving Centre, who can then follow the instructions set by the site manager to alert either the police or local security services.

Access Control

Access Control involves several different measures which prevent the unauthorised access of persons onto a site. This allows for the easy movement of people, vehicles, and equipment requiring access to a site, while still ensuring the property is kept safe against potential intruders.

Prime Secure provides several effective access control options; include physical gates (which are sturdy and resistant to any sabotage attempts), placed at specific access points to ensure site security. Also included are advanced interfaces, card readers, and other sabotage and tamper proof innovative equipment – suitable for a wide range of different sites.

Anyone requiring access will need to provide identification to trained staff to be able to enter. These mean both during and after work hours, people cannot just simply wander on, and potential thieves cannot easily just slip into the site.

Other Physical Measures

There’s a wealth of other cost-effective on-site security measures available to Construction Sites. These include;
  • Lighting, which can give the illusion of on-site activity, as well as helping to alert security staff to the presence of intruders
  • Physical barriers
  • Locks: this is often required by insurance. Equipment should be locked away, as should valuable materials (especially precious metals) - which should always be kept out of sight. The same goes for fuel, and any other high value goods. Opportunistic thieves tend primarily to go for easy targets such as equipment, materials, and fuel which has been left unattended. This means locks and other security measures will deter them from crime. Ensuring these vulnerable materials are out of sight will also do a lot to ensure criminals aren't attracted in the first place.
  • Anti-Climb' options, such as Welded mesh fencing. These kinds of barriers are vital to ensuring opportunistic thieves cannot just avoid access control points.

Operational Security

Operational Security can be thought of as ‘human’ security. Prime Secure provides a range of different ‘operational security’ options for construction projects.

Security Guards and Manned Guarding Services

Manned Guarding Services are a vital component for modern construction site security needs, and one of the most popular forms of construction site security services. Security Guard services should hold a current Security Industry Authority (SIA) licence, which provides them with the necessary skill sand training to handle anyone who illicitly accesses a site. Manned Guarding is great for preventing unauthorised access, and also helping to settle disputes between workers. A particularly large site may require 24/7 services by Security Guards. Security Guards are widely regarded as one of the most effective deterrents, able to respond to suspicious activity that occurs. Security Guards are one of the most effective measures of security for a construction project because no criminal or vandal has any wish for a confrontation. Security Guards mean a high risk of being caught and prosecuted. They are a fantastic way to prevent vandalism and theft. Security Guards and Guarding Services can be further bolstered with dedicated Security Dogs.

Mobile Patrols

Mobile Patrols involve the use of security guards mounted in marked, highly visible vehicles constantly moving around a site. Not only is this a fantastic visible deterrent to any potential intruder, but Patrols can respond quickly to any activity. They often work best when combined with other systems, such as CCTV. Prime Secure patrols are fully qualified and provide a highly visible presence as construction site security, offering an immediate response to any on-site. issues.

Measures to Avoid

In hopes of saving money, some people approach construction site security with the use of measures such as the use of signs and ‘dummy’ alarms and CCTV Cameras. Signs are effective but only alongside legitimate systems; on their own they pose no meaningful deterrent to criminals. Signs should usually be combined with CCTV and Alarm systems to help make them more visible, but a warning of a prosecution with no ability to follow up is often considered by criminals a sign that a property is vulnerable and may even harm site security. The same goes for ‘dummy alarms and fake CCTV Cameras. These are often easy for more professional criminals to spot, and since they only offer potential deterrence, if a crime does occur none of the serious benefits offered by real cameras, which can quickly alert the emergency services and initiate pre planned security measures. More importantly, they can’t provide evidence to help prosecute those responsible.

Conclusion: Never Skip on Security

It is vital to ensure your construction site security is always built on professional security solutions from experts, ensuring your workforce is kept safe. Prime Secure has been providing Construction Site Security for well over 25 years. Our site security options, and security systems will guarantee your project and work force are kept safe. We can provide expert advice on what the best choice for your site is as well. Get in touch with our team today at 0345 88 88 333 or info@prime-secure.co.uk for a free quote.

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Prime Secure Systems Ltd t/a Prime Secure holds SIA approved contractor status for the provision of security guarding and keyholding services.

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SIA APPROVED

Prime Secure Systems Ltd t/a Prime Secure holds SIA approved contractor status for the provision of security guarding and keyholding services.

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