Preventing Theft and Vandalism on Construction Worksites

When working on a new construction project, there are plenty of things to worry about, including cost overruns, meeting all state deadlines, finding high-quality sub-contractors, making sure all the equipment arrives on time and in good shape, etc… Unfortunately, you also need to worry about theft and vandalism, which is all too common on construction sites in Southern California. Construction site theft eats away at your profit and could even cause an operating loss on a job. The best way to deal with theft is to try and prevent it with reasonable safety measures.

Below is a short list of steps you can take to convince thieves that your site isn’t worth the effort and risk of plundering.

• Create a job-site security plan and make sure all your site managers are familiar with it
• Encourage all employees to be security conscious when on the worksite
• If possible, enclose the job site with a strong security fence
• Make sure the security fence is closed and locked each night
• Limit access to the site as much as possible, even during the day
• Consider putting up cameras or motion-activated lights and posting big warning signs
• Consider hiring security guards to patrol the premise at night
• Keep tools in a secure area and lock them up at night
• Mark all tools and equipment for easy identification
• Stamp ID numbers conspicuously on all large equipment and keep records of the ID numbers
• Require all workers to sign tools in and out to better track them
• Require all keys to be signed in and out and limit the people on the site who are able to sign out keys
• When possible, immobilize equipment at the end of each work day (ex. Take the gas cap out of each vehicle)
• Keep all building materials in a secure and locked storage area
• Keep an inventory of all tools, equipment and anything of value kept on the worksite
• Remove equipment, tools and other materials from the worksite as soon as they are no longer needed
• Make sure all incidents of theft or vandalism are reported promptly by workers
• Contact local authorities immediately if a theft or vandalism has occurred
• Maintain complete records of all incidents of theft or vandalism
• Reach out to adjoining properties or local neighborhood watch groups and ask them to report any suspicious activity that they see on the worksite

With all or most of these security measures in place, the chances of theft and vandalism to your worksite will be drastically reduced, allowing you to worry about all the other important responsibilities that come with managing a construction project. If you’d like to protect against the financial loss of worksite theft or vandalism, consider purchasing inland marine insurance.