Building sites are among the hardest places to secure. They are open by nature, they change every week, and they contain exactly what thieves want: plant, fuel, cable, copper, tools and materials that are easy to sell on. The cost of a theft is rarely just the item. A missing excavator or a stripped cable run can hold up several trades for days.

Most site theft is opportunistic, which means that getting the basics right makes a real difference. Work through this checklist at the start of a project and again whenever the site layout changes.

1. Perimeter

  • Is the whole boundary fenced or hoarded, with no gaps at corners, drains or neighbouring walls?
  • Are fence panels clipped together properly and weighted so they cannot be lifted out?
  • Is anything stacked against the fence that makes it easy to climb, inside or out?
  • Is somebody responsible for walking the boundary at the end of each day?
  • Are warning signs displayed, including a security company's signs where one is in use?

2. The gate

  • Is there one controlled entrance, rather than several open ones?
  • Is everybody signed in and out, including subcontractors and delivery drivers?
  • Are deliveries booked in advance and checked against orders?
  • Is the gate closed between vehicles, and locked with a good-quality padlock and chain at night?
  • Who holds the gate keys, and is there a record?

3. Plant and vehicles

  • Is plant parked together, in view of cameras and away from the fence, at the end of each shift?
  • Are keys removed and locked away, never left in cabs or on a hook in the cabin?
  • Are immobilisers and trackers fitted and working?
  • Is there a list of plant on site with serial numbers and photographs?
  • Can larger machines be parked to block in smaller ones and to block the gate?

4. Fuel, tools and materials

  • Are fuel tanks locked, bunded and positioned where they can be seen?
  • Are tools kept in locked containers or vaults, with a sign-out sheet?
  • Are cable, copper and other high-value materials delivered as close as possible to when they will be used?
  • Is valuable material stored inside the building or in locked containers, not in the open?
  • Are tools and equipment marked so they can be identified if recovered?

5. Lighting and cameras

  • Are the gate, the compound and the cabins lit at night?
  • Do cameras cover the gate, the plant and the stores, and have they been moved as the site has changed?
  • Is somebody actually monitoring the cameras out of hours? Recorded footage shows you what was taken; monitored CCTV lets somebody respond while it is happening.
  • Are CCTV signs in place at the entrance?

6. People on site out of hours

Decide what level of cover each phase needs:

  • A night guard when plant and materials are exposed and the building cannot yet be locked.
  • Mobile patrols at varied times once the risk is lower.
  • Monitored cameras with a patrol response as an alternative or in addition.

Whoever you use, make sure the company and its officers are licensed by the PSA. Guarding a construction site without a licence is an offence, and so is hiring somebody who does.

7. Shutdowns

The builders' holidays in summer and the Christmas break are when sites are most at risk, because everybody knows they are empty for two weeks. Before a shutdown:

  • remove hired plant you do not need and return what you can;
  • reduce fuel and high-value materials on site;
  • increase patrols or add a guard for the period;
  • confirm who is on call and that security has their numbers.

8. Public safety

Security is also about keeping people out for their own sake. An unsecured site is dangerous to children and trespassers, and the contractor carries the responsibility. Check that excavations are covered or fenced, ladders are removed or boarded, and that every patrol includes the fence line.

If you would like us to walk your site and give you a written security plan for each phase, contact us or read more about our construction site security.