Construction Site Security

By Debbie Anway, Rafn Company Project Engineer 

Security at construction sites has become more and more of a topic in recent years as thieves look for ways to make quick money and others look to have epic adventures in a prohibited place. From the perspective of a general contractor, securing a construction site goes hand in hand with safety and loss prevention. Contractors work hard all day to keep projects moving forward but all that can be undone with an accident or theft afterhours. 

Top reasons to secure a job site:

1. Safety - Construction sites have inherent hazards that are mitigated by workers with the use of safety equipment including boots, long pants, gloves, shirts with sleeves, fall protection (harnesses), eye protection, hearing protection, and hard hats. On site hazards are addressed at all times by making sure ladders are secured, floor edges have temporary railings, and exposed rebar have protective caps to name just a few. But if an unauthorized person enters the site after hours we are unable to assure their safety.


2. Theft Prevention - Construction sites are prime targets for thieves due to the large amounts of new materials and products waiting to be installed. Because they have been recently delivered to the site, they are often in an easily transportable state aiding the thief in their removal. Knowledge of the security system's existence deters a thief from entering the site in the first place. We have signs on all of our fences announcing our security system.


3. Apprehension - The security system is armed each day after the work day is over. Security cameras are motion activated and begin to record when they sense movement. The system calls the Police every time a video camera is triggered, proving that an unauthorized person is on our job site. Response times vary but multiple arrests have been made at three of our sites already this year (one this week).


4. Insurance - The project owner and their insurance representative are looking for a predictable result in the construction of their project. Accidents and theft can throw a monkey wrench in the schedule and budget, resulting in delays, cost overruns, and insurance claims. Site security provides them peace of mind; they have confidence that materials won't be stolen and that we have done our due diligence to maintain a safe site.

Security on current Rafn jobsites is provided by Secure Pacific Corp. (http://securepacific.com/).