Construction Site Security Best Practices

CDM 2015

Regulation 18 of the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, headed “good order and site security”, requires that, where necessary in the interests of health and safety, a construction site must, so far as reasonably practicable and in accordance with the level of risk, have its perimeter identified by suitable signs and/or be fenced off. The principal contractor must also take reasonable steps to prevent unauthorised access.

HSE guidance on protecting the public

HSE’s guidance on protecting the public says boundaries should be physically defined, usually by fencing suited to the site and its surroundings, and that in populated areas a two-metre small-mesh fence or hoarding is typical. It highlights that children are attracted to construction sites as places to play, and lists steps including securing the site at the end of each day, covering or barriering excavations, immobilising vehicles and plant, storing materials so they cannot topple or roll, removing access ladders and locking away hazardous substances.

Occupiers’ liability

Under the Occupiers’ Liability Act 1984, an occupier can owe a duty of care to trespassers where it knows of a danger and has reasonable grounds to believe someone may come into its vicinity. Construction sites present many such dangers, which is one reason why keeping people out matters even when there is little to steal.

Fire

Deliberate fire setting is a recognised risk on sites. HSE’s guidance Fire safety in construction (HSG168) covers preventing fires starting and protecting people if they do. Security measures that keep intruders out and remove combustible waste reduce the opportunity for arson.

Before mobilisation:

• Identify what is at risk: plant, tools, fuel, cable and metals, materials, site cabins, and the partly completed structure itself.
• Consider the surroundings: adjoining land, public footpaths, schools, residential neighbours and known local issues.
• Decide how the risk changes by phase: groundworks, frame, envelope, fit-out and handover each bring different targets.
• Agree who owns security: the principal contractor, the client, or a combination, and record it.
• Allow for power and connectivity if CCTV or alarms will be used before permanent supplies arrive.

1. Perimeter

Hoarding or fencing should be continuous, maintained and checked daily. Common weaknesses include gaps at the base of fencing, unsecured couplers on temporary fence panels, gates left on the latch, and materials stacked against the fence that can be used as a step. Signage should identify the site and warn of dangers and, where used, CCTV.

2. Access control

Limit entry points. Every person on site should be inducted and identifiable, and visitors should sign in and be escorted where necessary. A gatehouse officer can manage pedestrian and vehicle access, check deliveries against expected schedules and stop unauthorised vehicles.

3. Secure storage

Keep high-value tools and materials in locked containers away from the perimeter. Immobilise plant at the end of each shift, remove keys and record who holds them. Keep fuel in secure, bunded storage. Do not leave materials at the boundary where they can be passed over a fence.

4. Lighting

Lighting deters intrusion and supports CCTV. It should cover access points, compounds and storage areas without dazzling neighbours or road users. Where mains power is not available, battery or hybrid lighting towers can be used.

5. Detection and surveillance

Detection tells you something is happening; surveillance tells you what. Options include remotely monitored CCTV, standalone CCTV towers, and wireless alarms on scaffolding. Our guide to CCTV towers for construction sites covers how these work.

6. Response

Detection is only useful if someone responds. That might be an on-site officer, a mobile patrol, a keyholder, or a monitoring operator issuing an audio warning and escalating as required.

Before each shutdown, run a documented close-down check: gates locked, plant immobilised, containers locked, fuel secure, excavations covered, ladders removed, waste cleared and detection systems armed. Schedule extra patrols or guarding over long shutdown periods such as Christmas.

Static officers working alone at night must be covered by lone-working arrangements, including regular check calls and an escalation route if a call is missed.

Review reports at site meetings so that defects are fixed and cover can be adjusted as the site changes. Incident records are also useful for insurers and police. Our guide to preventing construction site theft covers theft-specific measures.

Practical controls include:

• checking deliveries against an expected schedule and recording vehicle registrations;
• checking that anything leaving the site is authorised, particularly plant, tools and surplus materials;
• keeping visitors to inducted routes and escorting them where required;
• closing and securing gates between deliveries rather than leaving them open all day;
• briefing the workforce on what to do if they see someone they do not recognise.

Avoid advertising what is on site: signage that names high-value plant or materials, or delivery schedules visible from outside the boundary, give useful information to thieves. Keep gate codes and key safe combinations restricted and change them when people leave the project.

• Perimeter continuous, maintained and inspected daily
• Signage in place, including CCTV signs where cameras operate
• Single controlled entry point where possible; visitors logged
• Plant immobilised and keys controlled at end of shift
• Tools and materials in locked storage away from the boundary
• Fuel and hazardous substances locked away
• Excavations covered, ladders removed
• Lighting and detection working and checked
• Response route agreed and tested
• Security reviewed at each phase change

See also our construction industry page, or request a quote for a site survey.