Theft from a Construction Site

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Theft from a Construction Site Safety Talk

Theft is a major concern for all companies. Construction companies especially deal with unique challenges in protecting themselves. According to the National Equipment Register, construction jobsite theft costs the industry up to $1 billion each year. It is important to consider the challenges of protecting a worksite from theft and take steps to prevent it from occurring.

Best Practices to Prevent Theft from a Construction Site

There are many different, and even high-tech, ways to prevent tools, equipment, or valuables from being stolen from a construction site. Depending on what is onsite, the challenges to protect the site as a whole, and what geographical area the site is in will better determine what is needed to properly plan for theft prevention.

To save time, we will discuss a few basic considerations to prevent theft from your site in this safety talk.

• Secure the perimeter around the site with a fence and barbed wire.
• Do not leave tools or valuables near fence lines.
• Have laydown areas that equipment is parked in overnight with a simple camera system focused on that area of the worksite.
• Lock valuables up in a secure building or Conex container.
• Do not leave valuables where they can be seen through a window. Seeing valuables could give a thief the green light to actually break in to retrieve the object and more.
• Do not let people outside the company know what valuables are onsite. People are more likely to break into a site if they know there is certain valuable equipment, tools, or material on that site.
• Keep detailed records and pictures of all tools and equipment. If something is stolen, it may be easier to prove that it belonged to the company if recovered.

Summary

There are many steps we can all take to ensure valuables, tools, materials, and equipment are not stolen. While much of the theft is done by individuals who break into a site after hours, it also occurs in-house by employees. It is important to speak up if you think someone is stealing from the company. Theft hurts the company as a whole and can cut into benefits and improvements that could have been made if theft did not occur.

Discussion points:

• What are steps can we take to prevent theft from this jobsite?