We’ve reached that time of year again. It’s a few weeks since the clocks turned back, the afternoons feel like night-time and many people in construction – whether on site or in office-based roles – are starting and finishing their working day in the dark.
Shorter, darker days can increase the risk of accidents on site, make commuting more hazardous and create extra opportunities for crime. The good news is that a few simple habits and precautions can make a big difference. In this blog, we look at three key areas for staying safe: working on site, driving to and from work and protecting sites from crime.
With crimes like theft and trespass already costing the construction industry a staggering £800 million per year, it now seems that things are getting worse.
According to a survey carried out by site security firm, BauWatch, 60% of construction professionals in the UK have seen crime on energy, infrastructure and commercial construction projects worsen over the past year. Read this week’s blog for more of the survey results and some ideas about how to mitigate the risks by maintaining good security.
Research shows that nearly four out of five tradespeople in the UK have experienced tool theft with the estimated cost to the industry coming in at a staggering £2.8 billion.
Because the victims of tool theft are often self-employed, the impact of their individual losses on them, their families, livelihoods and mental health can be devastating. However, the criminals targeting construction sites and trade vans rarely stop to think about such things and so it’s vital that construction companies prioritise and put every effort into site security. In this week’s blog, we’ll look at how big this problem has become and what you can do to protect your site.