Whether the festive season fills you with joy or dread, the fact of the matter is that Christmas is fast approaching and if your site is closing down for the holidays, you need to ensure it is still properly secure. Our handy checklist will help you determine what needs to be done in order to minimise the risks of theft, damage or other issues which typically occur when sites are on shutdown.
Check fencing and locks
Before shutting down your site, be sure to thoroughly check all site perimeters to ensure no damage has been done to fencing or locks. The unpredictable weather can sometimes cause fencing to loosen, thus opening your site up to unwanted intruders who can slide in through gaps with the intention of stealing expensive equipment or vandalising. Moreover, curious youngsters often enter building sites during calm periods, so you need to ensure they can’t get inside and hurt themselves.
Secure equipment, tools and machinery
Construction sites are a prime target these days for opportunistic thieves or even insiders who know the value of the expensive tools and equipment present there. As such, leaving your tools unattended for days over the Christmas closure period is extremely risky. Equipment should be stored in safe places onsite, or removed altogether while the site is shut.
Heavy machinery which remains onsite should be fixed and securely strapped down to prevent theft or misuse. If a stranger with no knowledge of how to operate the machinery were to enter the site and mess around with it, there could be serious consequences for you and them.
Review signs and notices
While carrying out your full perimeter check before closing up shop, you should make sure to review your hazard and warning signs. These should be clear and easily visible so as to protect your business from legal proceedings if strangers were to enter and harm themselves. The signs could also act as a deterrence to stop people from entering a site if they believe they could be in danger.
Plan ahead and prepare staff
Many sites will still be manned during the Christmas break – perhaps just by one SIA security guard who acts as a deterrent for unwanted visitors. As such, you need to ensure staff are fully equipped and trained to deal with any problems which could arise. All members of staff remaining onsite over the closure should have out-of-hours contacts to call in the event of an emergency, whilst staff back-up should be pre-organised to account for any last minute issues.
If you plan ahead and make all the necessary arrangements to keep your construction site security up-to-scratch this Christmas, you can kick-back, relax and enjoy a well-deserved break!