Construction site theft is a common problem faced by many construction contractors. As construction sites are enormous, keeping everything in check becomes a little difficult for most people.
Construction projects are already expensive, and construction site theft makes them even more costly. After all, you will have to compensate the equipment owner for the loss since the theft occurred on your property. Even if the stolen item belongs to you, its replacement will still prove to be expensive.
From heavy equipment to building materials, construction site theft has become an industry-wide problem.
Moreover, in addition to the direct cost of the stolen items, you will also incur some indirect costs. For example, after you replace the stolen item, you will have to reincur the cost of setting it up and the paperwork. All these additional costs will topple the total budget of the construction project.
So if you want to stay within your budget, then you must control theft on your construction site. One of the best ways to tackle this problem is by getting material management services from a certified construction company.
These companies have trained professionals who are capable of handling all the material on your construction site and they make sure that no materials get misplaced, damaged or stolen.
Also Read: The Impact of Effective Material Management on Construction Site Performance
To help you better manage such situations, this blog post will outline 4 preventative steps that can help assist you in avoiding construction site theft.
Secure Your Construction Site
Let us start from the basics. Security is a necessity for any type of business. Hence, the first step is to secure your construction site as the biggest reason behind construction site theft is lack of proper security and surveillance.
Sites that are not fully secured become an easy target for would-be thieves, so you need to ensure that your construction site does not fall prey to these. For this purpose, you can hire a certified security guard who can keep a record of who enters and leaves your site. Thus, it would be easier for you to identify any suspicious entrants if theft occurs.
Moreover, you can also place ‘no trespassing’ signs on your fully fenced construction site. The latter will also decrease the chances of being targeted by intruders. When not in use, keep all your building materials and tools in large storage boxes and put locks and chains on cargo trailers and heavy equipment.
Likewise, make sure to maintain an inventory log of all the tools, equipment, and materials. This way every item in use will be accounted for at the end of the day.
Evidently, managing the materials on your construction site will require a high level of diligence and due care. You, as a construction contractor, will already have a load of work on your shoulders. Hence, the best way forward will be to hire a certified material management contractor to do it for you.
Draft And Enforce Theft Prevention Policies
Employees are likely to take formally written policies more seriously than verbal instructions. Therefore, ensure that you draft theft prevention policies and enforce them on your construction site to prevent theft.
Also, make sure that all contractors, subcontractors, and the general workforce are made aware of all the rules, policies and consequences of construction site theft. Similarly, implement a zero-tolerance policy for offenders and inform all contractors and employees that if they get caught, they will have to face serious prosecution.
Maintain A Record Of Your Materials
It is imperative that you keep a detailed record of all your building materials and equipment in order to avoid theft. Get a hidden pin engraved on all your building materials and equipment so that in case of theft, you can identify your tools and equipment.
On the other hand, if you request material management services from a professional company, they will take care of the record-keeping task. In fact, they will monitor inventory movement through specialised software like Jovix which leaves no room for error.
Make Sure To Register Your Equipment
Another important preventative measure is to register all your equipment and materials. The latter will aid law enforcement agencies to easily recover the stolen items in case theft occurs.
So make sure that you register your equipment with a National Equipment Register (NER) to aid your recovery process in case of theft.
About Taurus Projects
Taurus Projects provides quality material management and construction services by applying all the necessary safety measures and expert knowledge. Our management and employees take pride in delivering the best services to our clients. We craft our material management strategy diligently to ensure optimum security and monitoring of a full range of inventory.
Starting a new construction project? Want to get expert site services, material management, earthworks, and sediment control? Contact us now and get the job done rightly by our professionals.