Safety Corner: Theft & Vandalism Protection

Vandalism and theft are on the rise at construction sites. In fact, this problem is so common that construction companies report losing as much as $1 billion annually to equipment theft and vandalism. To help safeguard Berwick Electric Co. from joining these stats, BEC Safety Manager Bill Tuten trains all staff on how to help prevent theft and vandalism. Here are some of the measures that Bill takes to minimize the likelihood of these crimes.

1. Use security cameras and signage. "Security cameras can go a long way in helping to prevent theft and vandalism," Bill explained. "It also helps if you have signage posted on site that lets people know that security cameras are in use."

2. Be aware of surroundings. "We instruct our staff to be observant of their surroundings. It seems obvious, but when you show up to a job everyday, it's easy to get into a routine and notice things that might be out of the ordinary," Bill said. "We encourage staff to report any suspicious activity, such as casting out lay down areas and conex boxes, to their immediate supervisor. Lay down areas are on-site areas where we store things like PVC piping, unistrut and other things that can be stored outside. A conex is a metal box used for temporary inside storage and can be locked up."

3. Secure equipment. "In addition to securing equipment, we also periodically change out locks," Bill said. "We also mark our tools and let the job site's security contractor know about our tools and materials. We train staff to do a daily inventory of the tools on site to make sure something didn't disappear overnight."

In addition to the cost of investigation and replacing tools and materials, stolen items cause job delays that impact production. These are just a few precautions that are in place to help protect against theft; to learn more about theft prevention, click here.