The theft of equipment and materials from construction sites is a growing problem, even these days, with the ability to monitor activities 24/7 via webcam. It’s such an issue that it accounts for $1 billion in annual losses and other costs for construction companies. The numbers have been growing by at least 10% per year since 1996 and are expected to continue doing so.
The problem goes beyond just losses resulting from theft. Companies must pay to replace equipment or rent it in the interim to keep projects on schedule. Other costs are involved, not the least of which is the resulting downtime caused by the lack of equipment or supplies. Delays cost money, and lots of it, as do increases in insurance premiums that result from excessive claims.
Construction sites can be easy targets. The main reason is that they typically lack proper security and loss prevention practices. Studies have shown that security-related issues like these are among the leading causes of construction site theft:
- Poor overall site security
- Open cabs providing easy access to thieves
- Multiple pieces of equipment sharing duplicate keys
- Unsecured job sites, particularly at night and over weekends
- Lack of product identification systems
Thieves target materials like copper and other metal supplies as much, if not more, than equipment. There is no bigger target for copper theft than construction sites, and no more significant problem of metal theft in Canada than the theft of copper.
No matter what they attempt to steal, most criminals have been conditioned to believe that construction sites are easy targets. The sad truth is that, for the most part, they’re correct. If you don’t want your site to become a costly statistic, consider implementing some or all of these preventive measures.
To protect your site contact us at MyService@BestWORLDSecurity.ca
