The most important resource of a construction company is the project being built on a job site and the material and equipment on that site. A construction company’s most important assets need to be protected and the best way to protect them is through a good security plan for your job site. As experts in construction site security, we know that a good security plan will not only protect your construction site assets but it will protect your construction crew as well. Here are a few tips to improve construction site security.

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Hire OSHA 10-certified physical security

Physical security is a must for any construction site. You need security guards to monitor your construction site day and night. They are an excellent deterrent against crime and more importantly, they can alert law enforcement and your leadership team if someone is attempting to trespass and mess with your job site. However, you don’t want to hire any security team you want to hire a security team that is OSHA 10 certified. OSHA certification is a requirement for many workers on your construction site so why wouldn’t you want the same for your security team? Security guards with OSHA certifications are a boon to your job site because they are another pair of eyes with the proper training to catch dangerous OSHA violations.

OSHA-certified security guards take a 10-hour construction industry training program. Having these guards means you aren’t just working with security guards but guards who can catch and prevent expensive fines. An OSHA 10 guard will look for people wearing improper PPP equipment, unmarked holes, tripping hazards, and improperly placed ladders. They can help you find any violation on a construction site.

Many construction company executives don’t know OSHA 10 guards exist so it is an incredibly underused resource to improve safety and security on a job site. Hiring OSHA-certified security will help shield you from liabilities in a way most of your competition is not.

Install the right security cameras

Installing security cameras on your job site is a no-brainer. They are one of the best deterrents to crime because they do the best job of proving that someone was trespassing on your job site. Catching someone messing with your expensive job site equipment is easy to prove when it is on video. A bunch of cameras pointed at the entrance points and the most important work areas is a good way to make someone think twice about messing around on a construction site. However, the problem with a job site is that it is temporary and you often lack the power source to keep security cameras running. Solar-powered cameras are a popular option for construction executives looking for security cameras that don’t require a constant power source.

Jason Fischbeck owner of residential and commercial smart tech installation company Automated Environments said solar cameras were the perfect security tool for construction firms.

“A solar camera is a self-sustained unit that stores battery in the daytime and operates with that stored energy at night,” Fischbeck said. “It will always run and it will do so without the need of a generator.”

Every construction site needs at least three fixed cameras and one that can rotate 360 degrees and focus on areas of interest. Camera placement is dependent on where the most valuable assets are on your job site. Cameras should be focused on every entrance and any place you store expensive construction equipment or parts of the site where you are heavily building.

Two-way radios a key to efficient security

Efficient communication is one of the best ways to keep your construction site safe. You want your security team to communicate and act fast. The best way to ensure quick communication between security teams is through the use of two-way radios.

Stewart McClintic Owner of two-way radio retailer hq98.com in Scottsdale said two-way radios are hands down the best communication tool for construction site security.

“In an emergency, you need your security team quickly communicating an issue,” McClintic said. “You don’t have time to dial a cell phone on a construction site with bad cell service. You need a device that can create instant push-to-talk communication and two-way radios are the best tool to do that.”

Don’t hire a security firm that does not use two-way radios. They are an industry standard tool and they are essential for security teams to cover multiple areas of a large job site.

Construction site security is vitally important to your construction company. It keeps your property and your team safe from dangers and keeps your company safe from liabilities caused by crimes committed on a job site. Hire the right security team, install the right security, and use the right two-way radios to improve construction site security.

Author: Bill Herzog is the CEO of Lionheart Security Services, a private security company serving the Phoenix and Tucson area.