Keeping your construction site or commercial building and property safe is critical, but how can you watch it twenty-four hours a day? Without the right security and surveillance system, your commercial property is vulnerable to vandalism or theft. If your security systems is more than a few years old, you should seriously consider upgrading.
The NER (National Equipment Register) estimates that the average annual value of large equipment theft from construction sites is about $400 million each year. That figure doesn’t include the theft of materials or smaller equipment found on job sites.
Rather than face financial loss at the hands of criminals on your commercial property, it’s worth it to invest in a security upgrade. Here’s what to consider when upgrading your commercial security system.
Security Must Evolve
A guard dog and a night security person aren’t enough to keep your construction site, junkyard, or commercial building safe anymore. An analog video system that records short time frames to a VHS tape is now obsolete.
Today’s thieves and vandals are smarter and bolder than ever before. Half-hearted efforts to keep an eye on your property 24/7 won’t keep your job site safe. Things you would never expect to see stolen from your property are at-risk without the right security system.
Losing equipment or materials that you have to replace to finish a job is too expensive. Thieves target everything from tools, equipment, metals, and lumber to re-sell at your expense.
If you don’t have a surveillance system or a way to secure your job sites, it’s time to get serious and upgrade. Excellent security helps you keep up with the competition and protect your bottom line.
What Do You Need?
You can’t physically watch your job site all the time, but the right equipment can help you keep an eye on it. If you aren’t using these security measures, it’s time to invest in an upgrade.
Controlled Access
Depending on your job site, gated access with security keycards could be a challenge. At a minimum, you need a perimeter fence that’s tall enough to make it difficult for thieves to climb over and back with your equipment. It should also be sturdy enough to withstand the force of a truck driving through it to load your equipment and haul it away.
For commercial buildings and your construction office on-site, the most secure facilities use keycards or keypads and codes to control access. Building plans and other sensitive information need to stay behind locked doors that allow limited access to only must-have personnel.
When using a keypad or security badges, make sure you keep an inventory of each badge. A missing badge can fall into the wrong hands and give access to your site to the wrong people.
An Employee Manifest
From your full-time employees to contractors or day laborers, keep a careful record of everyone who works on your job site each day. This can be a challenge with contractors who provide work for only a day or two. However, your construction site isn’t safe when unknown people have access to equipment and materials.
Make sure every person who provides work on your site or in your commercial meeting is “official” with an identification paper trail.
Security Cameras
Fake “security” cameras don’t fool criminals anymore. Old analog cameras and videotapes don’t provide enough surveillance for a job site.
Today, you need a robust commercial security system that provides 24/7 surveillance of every nook and cranny of your job site or commercial property. When considering an upgraded security system, look for these must-have features:
- Multiple cameras. A camera at your front gate or from one eagle-eye vantage point isn’t enough coverage. Most job sites benefit from the best security surveillance with at least four cameras placed throughout the property.
- Remote control and viewing. A camera is most useful when it can see everything. With remote camera control, you can direct a camera to see more than you can with a fixed camera angle. Even those hard-to-see areas of your job site need the watchful eye of your camera system.
- Live monitoring. During your “open” hours, you need law enforcement or security professional watching your security system. While people work on the property during the day, invest in a monitoring service. These professionals can also respond right away if they see someone breaking into your property while they monitor your systems.
- Recording and motion detection 24/7. Even with a professional watching your security cameras, they can miss something. Your camera system should constantly record activity with easy access to review recordings. See the real-time activity and save recordings for evidence in the event of theft or vandalism to your job site.
- Mobile access. You shouldn’t wait on someone to “pull the tape” of an incident that happened over the weekend. With access to your cameras and security system from your smartphone, your system can alert you to an after-hours problem. Check real-time or saved footage on your phone and call the police right away.
Technology makes this type of system more affordable and easier to use than ever. To keep up with your competitors, offering top-of-the-line security for every construction job can help you win more business.
The Best Commercial Security System Goes With You
An upgraded security system might seem like too much for your construction site. However, the best commercial security system keeps each job site safe and easily goes with you when it’s time for your next job.
Mobile Video Guard is the surveillance and security you need for every construction site or commercial property. One system gives you a 360° view of your job site 24 hours a day, whether your crew is working or not. You’ll never risk a security guard falling asleep on the job with our system and monitoring services.
Your work, equipment, and materials are too valuable to risk with a security system that isn’t reliable, and everywhere you need it to be. Contact us to get started on the security you need to keep every job site locked up tight and free from the financial loss of theft.
