Not many people see the construction site as something opportunistic thieves would take advantage of at first glance. While it is far from a jewelry store, it is not just a dirty, barren land of cement and metal beams.
Theft is a concern in the construction industry. Losing materials, equipment, and machineries can affect productivity and incur costs as well as working relationships. So how can a company combat theft?
Clean the cameras every now and then. The dust might ruin the view.
Surveillance
Surveillance cameras are necessary when it comes to security but are only effective if mounted in strategic areas. For better effectiveness, cameras should also be accompanied by other security measures like security personnel to do rounds during off-work hours.
Protocol
Implement fair and logical protocols as to not create a rift between workers. By implementing processes such as equipment logs, you can keep track of your people’s movements without micromanaging. With this process in place, accountability is promoted while theft is discouraged.
Records
Always keep an accurate record of your inventory, especially of equipment, and the like. Apart from timely inspections, logs must contain precise details such as dates, time. Keeping a record is tedious work but serves as a useful tool in overseeing construction work sites.
Hindsight
Besides doing background checks on your people, you should also be aware of what items are the top targets of thieves in the construction site. The easiest to take are those small enough to fit in a pocket or bag like small tools and pieces of wood, among others. Larger materials and heavy equipment would require a more elaborate scheme to smuggle it out. To prevent these incidents from happening, proper hindsight of what you have and what is going on in the work site is important.
When proper security measures are implemented, chances of theft dwindles down. While there is no guaranteed way to stop these sort of crimes from happening, being mindful and prepared can lessen the chances.
