Unauthorized Access at a Construction Site Poses Many Risks

Construction sites are inherently risky areas to work in and to secure. They are full of hazardous working environments and expensive machinery. Further, they are often right in the middle of busy metropolitan areas, making them a prime target for curious passerbys. There are a lot of risks one must leverage when managing a construction site, but they can all be condensed into the following three categories:

1. Theft: The frequency of breaking and entering crimes on construction sites is increasing. This is mostly due to the high value of construction equipment and materials. And as we become more technologically advanced, equipment and materials continue to rise in value, painting an ever more apparent target on the backs of construction sites. According to the National Crime Information Bureau, over 1 billion dollars a year is lost across the United States due to theft on construction sites with a recovery rate of only 20%. Anything from hand tools to copper piping is fair game once a thief gains entry to your construction site after hours.

1. Vandalism: I’m sure we all had that angsty teenager period in our lives. Well, some were more angsty than others, reaching for the spray paint can and looking for their next target to tag. Unfortunately, after hours construction sites are easy targets as they are usually empty, large, and easy to hide in. Along with graffiti, vandals can purposely damage equipment, sabotage your work, or even create hazards that were not present before their arrival. With over 12 billion dollars being spent per year to clean up graffiti alone, there’s no wonder construction sites are ramping up security.
2. Injury: Trespassing isn’t always fueled by mischievous teenage angst or an opportunistic heist. Sometimes curiosity is the culprit. It’s only human nature; when people see large border fences and reflective DO NOT ENTER signs, they can’t help but think, “but what if I do?” Now, most people would just go along with their day and disregard these primal curiosities, but there are others, the adventurous ones, that pose a threat to your construction site. Though these people might not realize the dangers of unauthorized construction site access, they will still encounter them. In the event that these unauthorized entrants get injured, the blame will be widespread: safety managers, contractors, and even the client could be held liable.

Adding Insult to Injury

When looking at the above three risk factors that affect all modern construction sites, some might say, “Eh, just an unavoidable cost of the job.” But below the surface lurks costs beyond anything I could put into a numbered list. For instance, the cost associated with a stolen piece of equipment goes well beyond just replacing the equipment.

Coordinators may need to move equipment from one job site to another, which could be astronomically expensive with larger pieces of machinery. Then you have to account for time spent filing police reports and insurance reports and the value lost from not using that time to further the project. Finally, if your stolen equipment is used to commit a crime or damage personal property, the liability can stretch all the way back to you, causing legal fees, more time wasted, and a good amount of shame no doubt.

All of the downtime spent replacing your equipment and following the proper legal procedures might end up costing more than if a person walked onto your job site, asked politely for your excavator, and you consensually gave it to him or her. So as you can see, not securing your job site just as bad–worse even–as giving away your valuable equipment for free.

Construction Turnstiles and ADA Gates to the Rescue

Now that we’ve gotten all the scary stuff and eye-opening statistics out of the way, it’s finally time to get into the “so what?” So… what can construction sites do to keep trespassers out but still allow authorized personnel in like normal? I thought you’d never ask. Construction site safety managers tend to install border fence lines around their sites. These work very well at keeping potential threats out, but they all have a major weak point: their entryways. Too often do we see entryways with a simple chain-link hinge door held shut with a padlock or a chain. Well, if you have your trusty bolt cutters ready, you can get through that hinge door padlock like butter.

The best way to combat a weak point is to strengthen it, right? This is exactly what full height turnstiles and full height ADA compliant handicap gates can do when used instead of flimsy chain-link fence doors. These products provide floor to ceiling coverage and because of their height, they integrate perfectly with fence lines. They are constructed of durable steel and built with a tamper-proof design that makes them virtually impenetrable. Effectively, when these units are locked, they are just as strong–if not stronger–than the lengths of fence they are integrated with.