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[show]As many approach the Winter season with excitement, preparing for Thanksgiving and the holidays, for many jobsites this brings a wave of oncoming risks to prepare for. Read on to find out how you can secure your jobsite this Winter.
What Makes Winter a Difficult Season for Jobsites?
Jobsites carry risks all year round, however, during the Winter season this often increases.
Between 2016 to 2020, sleet or snow caused a total of 139 fatalities. As colder, frostier weather conditions set in, jobsites need to be aware of the dangers ahead as the likelihood of slips, trips and falls becomes more common.
Additionally, due to worsening weather conditions, machinery and equipment can be impacted by this and require specialized care.
With darker evenings upon us, the vulnerabilities only increase and jobsites cannot risk reducing their security or use the same plan from summer.
Our Ultimate Guide to the Winter Season: The 7 Essential Steps to Protect your Jobsite
Having over 20 years of experience in protecting and securing jobsites, we understand the preparation required, especially during the colder, darker months.
From this, we’ve pulled our knowledge together to create a comprehensive guide on how to secure your jobsite this Winter season following these 7 steps.
Prevent and Monitor Injuries to Workforce on the Jobsite
There are multiple hazards related to jobsites, especially during Wintertime where there is a higher risk of slips, trips and falls. As employers you hold a duty of care to your employees.
Conducting safety inspections, providing thermal PPE and refreshing employee training are good starting points for you to promote the importance of staying safe on your jobsite.
Monitoring health and safety can be more difficult, however it is crucial to ensuring that safety standards are being met by construction workers and repeat instances are prevented.
Adding security cameras can improve jobsite health and safety by allowing any risks on site to be monitored remotely and providing the ability to review incidents back to find out how injuries occurred.
This ensures there is no room for error as you have video recording of any incidents or safety risks that are taking place on site.
Ensure a Strong Light Source on your Jobsite
Colder, frostier weather is not the only concern in Winter as the darker evenings entice thieves to target jobsites without risk of being caught. However, there are simple ways to combat this.
Installing strong light sources around your jobsite stops any thieves or intruders thinking they cannot be seen. This is critical for jobsites during darker evenings, especially at any entrances, exits or where valuables and machinery are kept.
If you wish to take further steps to secure your site, investing in Surveillance Trailers during the Winter period will provide the extra reassurance of capturing any criminals. You can fit them with our pole cameras which deliver PTZ control, HD imagery day and night, and power zoom capabilities.
Store Machinery and Expensive Materials in a Safe Location
The National Insurance Crime Bureau and National Equipment Register found that construction site crime cost between $300m and $1b annually.
Jobsites are left vacant more often in Winter, and therefore the risk of theft increases, leaving high-value products at risk. Due to the repurchasing costs related to them, it is vital that you take extra measures to protect them from thieves.
If possible, moving machinery and expensive materials off-site is the best option, however, if you cannot do this the recommended option is to place them in a site container secured by a lock.
Make Sure Security Cameras Cover the Full Jobsite
Taking preventative measures such as, storing equipment in a safe location and placing fencing around the site are important steps to take, however, there is no guarantee that this will stop theft or vandalism.
Having security cameras that cover the full jobsite 24/7 is the most effective method of preventing such crime. Solar Surveillance Trailers provide multiple benefits including, fully autonomous security and loudspeakers to relay live messages to deter criminals.
In instances where intruders access your jobsite, Surveillance Trailers will be able to record the event, assess the threat, read a live message through the loudspeakers and inform the relevant individuals such as, law enforcement and keyholders.
Be Prepared for the Winter Weather with a Security Plan
Plan, plan, plan! You can never be too organized for the Winter with your jobsite, however, being unprepared can cause many risks.
Carrying out a security check can help elevate your site’s safety, identifying any hazards or gaps where further solutions are needed to improve site security.
Once the checks are completed, you can develop a security plan for the Winter and implement the changes highlighted.
Where most traditional security systems fall down is with their monitoring, and when cold weather hits and travel becomes difficult, most will not be able to provide you with the ability still to monitor your site.
However with our Surveillance Trailers, the management and monitoring of your jobsite can be carried out remotely, so even in those days where there is high wind, snow, or storms present, you will be able to monitor your jobsite as normal.
Educate your Workforce on Health and Safety Risks
Everyone has a duty to ensure health and safety in the workplace, and this includes your employees. However, overtime, training can be forgotten, or changes take place meaning that some employees may not be up to date with their knowledge.
As employers, you need to make sure that any employees have the relevant training required and that this is updated on a regular basis. Especially prior to the Winter season where health and safety risks increase.
Set the time aside for all your employees to complete any training NOW to prevent workplace injuries from occurring over Winter that could be avoided.
Protect any Equipment prone to Cold Weather Damage
The drop in temperature over the Winter period can impact the effectiveness or usability of tools and machinery.
You need to be aware of the equipment more prone to cold weather damage and create a plan to protect these.
If possible, store them indoors. This will keep your tools and machinery warm and reduce preparation time for your workforce at the beginning of each day.
Other methods include, covering them in weather-resistant materials, disconnecting any batteries, lubricating any moving parts on machinery and using equipment suited to cold weather.
Stepping up Your Construction Site Security This Winter Season
By following these steps and onboarding the correct security services, we firmly believe that your jobsite will be secured as best as possible.
At WCCTV, we specialize in supporting these needs, supplying Solar Surveillance Trailers and security cameras supported by a high-quality service that includes a site survey, equipment installation, regular maintenance, remote video monitoring, proactive response, and monthly reporting.
Even in locations where power is not available, our service can be used to provide 24/7 monitoring this Winter and beyond.
Are you looking to step up your site security this Winter? Get in contact with us today.
Daniel del Soldato
Marketing Director
Daniel has been at WCCTV for over 10 years and has accumulated a vast wealth of knowledge of mobile surveillance products and the way they operate. In his spare time, Daniel likes to listen to music, watch football, and spend quality time with his family.
